


Steal Away Summertime

by hibiren



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst with a Happy Ending, Collaboration, Developing Relationship, Dreams and Nightmares, Fear, First Kiss, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Versdyn, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Light Whump, M/M, Magic and Science, Marine Biologist Verstael Besithia, Medical Examination, Medical Procedures, Mild Blood, Mild Gore, Octomer!Prompto AU, Panic Attacks, Poor Prompto Argentum, Promptis - Freeform, Rescue, Research, Sad and Sweet, Surgery, Touch-Starved, Uncle Ardyn Izunia, Unethical Experimentation, implied Gladnis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:40:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 40,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26419618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hibiren/pseuds/hibiren
Summary: Noctis takes a much-needed vacation to an oceanside manor far away from the constant noise and rush and bustle of Insomnia. It's relaxing at first, however, not everything at the manor is quite as peaceful as it seems on the surface. Many strange things begin to happen, and Noctis soon realizes that he's unintentionally tangled up in a dangerous plan that turns all of his summer plans upside-down. Something - or someone- mysterious is at work, and all sorts of tempting secrets hide behind the many closed doors of his new summer home, waiting to be discovered.[Written for the 2020 Promptis Big Bang! Collaboration with Iizuumi]
Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia/Ignis Scientia, Prompto Argentum/Noctis Lucis Caelum, Verstael Besithia/Ardyn Izunia
Comments: 14
Kudos: 49
Collections: Promptis Big Bang 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> OH GOD WE DID IT WE DID IT! After months and months of hard work and stress and research and adventuring and drafting, this (sea)monster of a project is finally finished! Super big huge thanks to [Izumi](https://twitter.com/Iizuumi) for partnering with me and creating BEAUTIFUL art for this project, they helped inspire me so, so much, and kept me motivated to finish even though I stressed out a lot ; u ; you're the best! <3
> 
> Edits/beta by Ayra, thank you so much for your help and your patience with me! You were a great help and your advice/insights were all wonderful! <3
> 
> The rating of this fanfic varies by chapter, but the overall fic is marked as explicit for graphic depictions of medical procedures/scientific experimentation/blood/etc. I always try to tag everything as best as I can to forewarn of any squicks! What can I say... Episode Ardyn got me thinking about the possibilities of an AU where the younger Verstael potentially takes up a career in marine biology (lol). I think it fits quite well with the theme of my fic! Magic versus science. Fantastic versus tangible. Fiction versus reality. This fic was filled with a lot of really fun, really immersive topics to research! I hope you enjoy!

Despite the long ride out from the city and the lingering stiffness in his shoulders, Noctis felt oddly refreshed as he stepped out of the car and onto the neatly-patterned stonework of the mansion’s entranceway. The colorful pebbles beneath his boots glistened with a dew-like shine from fresh rainfall, yet the skies had cleared some time before then as if nature knew his arrival had been expected. Unlike the city the air here was clean, crisp, and light. It didn’t weigh heavy on his lungs like the crushing atmosphere of Insomnia’s ever-bustling streets. Whenever he was home with his father he just felt like  _ something _ with an ungodly weight pressed down on him, whether or not he could actually describe it in words.

Here, he already felt like he could actually just focus on relaxing. It was part of the reason he’d been sent to this place - his Uncle Ardyn’s residence out in the distant countryside - hopefully to get away from that suffocating miasma of business, royal necessity, and angry politicians. So far, so good.

Living this far away from the city for the summer meant he likely had a better chance at finding time for fishing as well. While Noctis packed his suitcase very lightly with just essentials and necessities, he made sure to bring his full fishing gear along with him. But all of that would have to wait until he actually settled into his new home for the summer.

The mansion towered high over the Prince’s head. Large windows reflected the pleasant blue sky and puffy clouds above. The building’s layout echoed of a castle, and it may have been at one point. Sprinkles of green moss patched across the stones built into the facade and a few flowering vines curled lazily up from the surrounding neatly-pruned bushes, stretching wide across the walls and meandering over window sills - like old and new all converged into one structure. This aesthetic was all very fitting for his Uncle, Noctis mused, as he picked up his bags and made his way over toward the portico where two large stained mahogany double doors nestled beneath.

Creaking hinges echoed against the roof of the portico as one of the front doors slowly opened and a beckoning, unrecognizable hand bearing a strange dark-black ring gestured for Noctis to enter. The Prince did as instructed and it took him a moment to realize that he’d been swiftly pulled into a surprisingly tight hug. His bags hit the floor with a  _ thunk _ that resounded almost eerily through the open room.

“Oh, my dear Noctis, it’s been  _ ages  _ since I’ve last seen you!” crooned the voice that Noctis eventually recognized as his Uncle’s while struggling not to suffocate in the man’s determined embrace. The sharp, defined scent of peppery cologne filled Noctis’s lungs and attempting to breathe against the pressed lapel of Ardyn’s suit jacket was quickly becoming near-impossible. “You’ve gotten so  _ tall, _ so handsome! Welcome, welcome, do make yourself right at home.”

Eventually, Ardyn released him and stepped back to let Noctis catch his breath and have a chance to check out the interior of his new temporary home. A grandiose split staircase rose up from the floor and hugged the walls on either side, the incline a gentle curve against the overall rigidity of the mansion’s structure. The wood along the floors and walls was a richly finished, impeccably flawless mahogany to match the front doors and the carpet that lined the floors was a sharp, complementary red. Despite the “ancient” look of the exterior, the inside sung of years of well-kept maintenance. Had Ardyn managed to do all this on his own? The man had his mysterious ways, and Noctis had heard the stories and knew not to question them, but there were times he still wondered about his capabilities nonetheless.

“Nice place,” was all Noctis managed to say, and Ardyn clapped him playfully on the shoulder.

“Thank you! I’ve worked tirelessly to fix the place up, and I’m so glad you see the value in my decor. Are you hungry at all, thirsty, tired? I could have something sent up to your room if you don’t feel like coming to dinner.” Ardyn’s smile was friendly - was it too friendly? - as he swept Noctis up the staircase by the confident grip on his shoulder and led him down a side hallway with far too many doors to keep track of, each with a set of Roman numerals carved below the knocker. They stopped toward the end of the hall at the door labeled XV.

Adorning the mid-center of the door just over the lettering was a cast brass knocker like the others, but upon closer inspection Noctis realized that the knocker was in the shape of a fish, twisted as if caught in the rope netting that surrounded it.

“Oh, my bags,” Noctis realized, turning to head back down the hall, but Ardyn stopped him by brandishing an arm out, producing a key as if from thin air, and dropping it into Noctis’s palm.

“They are already inside your room, you have no need to worry. Relax, relax! You have plenty of time to unpack. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I do have some business to attend to this evening - hence the need for such formalwear - and I will not return until much, much later tonight. Everything you will need to know about this house is in a booklet on your desk, and there is also a phone with my number in case you need to call. Ta~”

Noctis turned and slipped the rather rustic-looking key into the lock and turned it, pushing the door to his new bedroom open. He turned to thank his uncle, but the man was gone. Strange…

Yet stranger still, there were Noctis’s bags, tucked away politely on top of the bed waiting for him. For a brief moment the Prince wondered why his life had taken such a bizarre turn after leaving the city. In the end he pushed the thought aside in favor of turning to the desk against the opposite wall and picking up the booklet Ardyn had mentioned, flipping through the pages idly to catch up on all the information he’d need while staying there.


	2. Chapter 2

While the vast majority of the information Noctis learned had to do with the surprisingly expansive history of the castle and its surrounding location, he was the most pleased to discover that the surrounding forests and even a lake were all under his uncle’s name. Flipping past the first few pages revealed a full spread of a detailed map of the land, and the pages after that were roughly drawn diagrams of the castle’s layout.  _ Don’t get lost! _ was scribbled, and underlined, in one of the corners, and it made Noctis chuckle.

Just in case he’d need them for later, the Prince pulled out his phone and snapped pictures of both maps. Wouldn’t hurt, if he wandered off without the booklet before he could memorize his surroundings. With all the confusing things that were happening already, it wasn’t a bad idea.

As he stared down at his phone, he realized he’d forgotten to do something important. He was supposed to call Ignis, as soon as he’d made it to Ardyn’s. Better do that now, Noctis thought, hoping Ignis wasn’t rolling over himself thinking that the Prince had met an untimely death on the road if he didn’t call at his expected arrival time.

“Hey, Specs, it’s me,” Noctis said, when Ignis picked up on the other end and sounded somewhat exasperated as he greeted the Prince. As he wondered how long they would be on the phone, he moved over to the bed and sat down on it after kicking his shoes off. It felt so good to get comfortable in something other than a leather seat; the bed was so soft beneath his back he felt like he could finally start to relax for the day.

_ “I trust you’ve made it to Sir Izunia’s manor safely?” _ came the Tactician’s unsure voice, floating in through static from the phone’s speaker. It seemed he still wasn’t quite convinced, despite the ease in Noctis’s tone. He worried too much, but it was always for good reason.

“Yeah, all good here.” While he spoke with Ignis, Noctis continued to peruse the pamphlet in his lap. “This place’s super old, apparently. He gave me this whole mini book about the castle and its history, and when I say super old, I mean  _ super _ old. Almost like, fairy-tales old.”

They both shared a laugh, and Ignis seemed less tense as their conversation progressed.

_ “I see. Well, I must be going, I have business to attend to that involves helping your father fight off these incessantly tenacious politicians. They’re still trying to make unfair bargains and he’s absolutely not having it. Once things have calmed down here, I’m sure we will have more time to catch up with each other. Do be careful - and, one last thing, before I go. Your father, as well as Gladiolus and Lady Iris all send their warm regards to you. It… isn’t quite the same here without you, but I’m thankful that you don’t have to deal with this hectic nonsense.” _

Noctis couldn’t have agreed more. “Yeah. I miss you guys, but it’s just for the summer, and I’m sure I’ll be back before you know it. I’ll text you later if anything interesting happens. There’s been some… strange… stuff going on, I can’t really explain, but I’ll tell you more later.”

_ “That sounds like a plan. Rest well, Noctis, and I hope that your time away from the city heals you as much as your father intends it to.” _

When the call ended, Noctis set his phone down beside him and looked down at the booklet in his lap. He’d subconsciously flipped through the entirety while talking with Ignis. When he moved to close it and put it back on the desk, a faded note at the very bottom of the page caught his attention.

_ The undergrounds here are an absolute curse! It’s practically a dungeon, with how dreary it can be. It’s very unpleasant, so stifling! Even after remodeling, I can hardly get any work done before the lack of windows makes me stir-crazy! Why, pray tell, did HE insist on such modification???? It's MY house! Yet of course this is the only place in this entire mansion - would you believe it - that has enough space for all the paperwork, bookshelves full of necessary nonsense, and everything else I need to do my job! What are the odds of that? Sometimes it’s quite a chore to work from home. _

Below that, scrawled in different colored ink, were the words,

_ DO NOT ENTER THE DUNGEON! (Please and thank you. I prefer not to talk about work.) _

Work?

It was true that Noctis had been wondering what exactly his Uncle had been up to for all the years he’d been away from the Citadel, but no one seemed to know for sure what it was that Ardyn did for a living. Even his father, the King, had only shrugged his shoulders and said,  _ well, whatever he’s doing, he seems quite pleased with his work. I believe Ardyn would have moved back in years ago if he was dissatisfied, although I’m sure he greatly prefers the freedom of the countryside to royal duty. He is not an easily persuaded man, so I have just resolved myself to let him do as he pleases. He doesn’t seem to be hurting anyone. _

That much was certain. Ardyn had left Insomnia years ago, claiming to have not been well cut out for political work. He had sent a letter to the King when he’d eventually settled in at the manor, making a point in several pages to describe how dark, dusty, and outright dead the land and the castle looked and that it was then therefore his  _ absolute mission _ to make it into something habitable.

Noctis stretched his arms over his head and stood, dropping the booklet back on the desk so he could get a better look around his bedroom now that he had the time. His bed was large but took up only a small amount of space compared to the rest of the room. Two large windows rose from either side of the bed and let in bright afternoon sun through the sheer white fabric. Thicker, red-ribbon lined black curtains were tucked out of the way. A ribbon tied at the center likely meant that if loosened, the curtains could be drawn to block light from coming in.

The view outside both windows wasn’t one he’d been expecting. When he had arrived at first, there were rows of trees that only grew more dense as he approached the castle. He hadn’t realized that it was actually a full  _ forest _ just outside. If he strained his head a bit toward the far left he could faintly see the outlines of trimmed, shaped hedges, likely part of a garden courtyard.

Directly in front of him, a winding path cut through the thick lining of trees and Noctis caught the sparkle of sunlight on water; after remembering the map from the booklet, he realized that it looked like one of the lakes Ardyn owned.  _ Perfect. _ It would be time to fish, soon. Before that, though, there was something that needed attending to: the bed was calling his name. Just for a little nap, he promised himself, and then there would be plenty of fishing to be done for the rest of the day.

As Noctis laid down on the bed and pulled the plush covers around himself, he let out a long, slow sigh. It was finally possible to relax. No more car horns, blaring alarms or sirens, people walking up and down hallways all day and opening and closing doors, no more city life. The sounds of distant birds, a gentle wind against the windows, and somewhere further away, the distant crash of waves on a shoreline pulled Noctis’s tired mind into peaceful dreams.

Dreams of fishing in a boat in the ocean, watching as his line disappeared into the blue depths and swayed in time with the rocking waters. Soon, it would all be a dream come true… but was the growing sound of bubbles beneath his boat his imagination…? They rose, rolled, and curled up the sides of the boat, popping once they met the surface with a sound like happy giggles from the water itself. A dance of black and gold shot past in a blur, and the laughter receded back into the deep - but not before pulling his fishing rod overboard and nearly capsizing his boat in the process when Noctis tried and failed to pull it back.

_ I’ll try again tomorrow, _ Noctis mused to himself, as he sat against his dreamscape’s boat and watched what was left of his fishing rod disappear into the sea.


	3. Chapter 3

The next few days went by slowly, but pleasantly so. He’d managed to unpack most of his suitcase into the dresser-cabinet, thankful he could hang his clothes because he hated folding things. Folds meant wrinkles and he knew that was something Ardyn was likely to fuss at him over. It was just something he was used to, which was why he preferred to spend his time alone in clothes that suited him, rather than forcing himself into formalwear that he felt didn’t suit him at all, just to socialize with people who had ulterior motives for doing so.

Noctis enjoyed exploring the different hallways in the manor even without going into any of the rooms - and made a point to practice looking out for landmarks to keep himself from getting lost in the elaborate distraction of the branching halls. Each seemed to have a different theme, likely due to his Uncle’s eccentric and ever-changing tastes in decor.

The land outside the castle was easier to navigate, but not by much. Having the picture of the map on his phone helped immensely as Noctis fought through overly-brambled pathways to get to the lake. It was as if no one had walked this path in months, if not years. The trees rose on either side of the fading stones and towered overhead enough to shade out the afternoon sun. Some of the trees were in bloom, others stretched their branches out like long arms scattered with bird’s nests, draping vines, and caught, dead twigs that snagged in the wood as if purposely. Noctis watched his step as he followed the promising sound of rushing water.

After a minute of careful walking and intermittent glances at his phone, Noctis finally approached a clearing, where the forest to either side of him split and rounded outward as if fencing in the lake itself with the treeline. A small dock a few feet in front of him extended out into the water, and small waves licked against the worn wood, leaving a pleasant rustling sound lingering in the air as he approached. There was a worrisome creaking that followed when Noctis placed his shoe on the first plank, but when he bore down a bit harder, leaned a little more of his weight onto it, it didn’t budge. It appeared safe, for now.

Noctis sat down on the dock’s edge so he could slip his shoes and socks off. He stuffed each sock into its respective boot and set them aside. Several fish beneath his feet flitted away when his toes dipped into the water. The water was cool, but given the heat of the lingering summer sun, the chills that traveled up his body were certainly welcome.

It was a beautiful afternoon in a pleasant, new place. Like a secret hideaway, just for him. Better than anything he’d ever had back in the city. He just drank in the sounds of the water at his feet, the trees, the breeze, and the forest life around him. The gentle rustle of the lake’s surface as it brushed against the nearby sands. The chirping of distant birds and the flapping of their wings as they wandered overhead. The light crunch of dead leaves and twigs as an unseen animal rooted through the brush to find a hiding place, or dig for food… Noctis let out a long, slow sigh and the wood planks beneath his back creaked as if agreeing with his contentment. Out here, the air was clean and fresh and new, smelled of life and peace and adventure. It was a welcome change from the crowding, stifling,  _ recycled  _ air at the Citadel.

He laid back in a pleasant daze, watching the clouds as they floated into view past one side of the trees and gently drifted across the open expanse to disappear along the other treeline. It was possible that he’d fallen asleep, because he was startled into splashing the water at his feet across the lake when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket.

It was his uncle. Noctis then realized he had forgotten to say something about going out to the lake - guiltily, he swiped up on the screen to answer.

“...Hello?”

_ “Ah! Noctis! I’d been wondering where you ran off to. It’s just about lunchtime and I - yes, yes, I know - ” _ The latter statement was said to someone out of earshot of the phone line, and Noctis frowned as Ardyn continued speaking,  _ “I have a bit of urgent news to share. A colleague of mine has announced he would like to join me for lunch, and I would like you to be there as well. He and I will be heading off to a dinner later this evening, but it’s work-related so therefore you’ll be staying home. Please return from wherever you are, shower, and make yourself presentable; I will meet you in the dining hall with our guest. If you have brought something nice to wear, I’d suggest you wear it. But nothing too formal. You see, my colleague is… a very critical - I mean, ah,  _ analytical _ \- gentleman. It would do us both well to stay on his good side.” _

Best not to keep him waiting too long, in that case. Ardyn seemed like he was in a hurry, and the voice just out of range sounded gruff, almost frustrated, as Ardyn said goodbye and ended the call.

It was almost painful to leave such a tranquil place behind, but Noctis sighed, shook the water from his feet, and picked the socks from his boots. His feet were still too wet to put them on so he just put his shoes on without them and briskly walked back to the manor. Walking in wet shoes was an odd sensation, but he pushed it aside as the manor’s side doors came into view and he slipped in, heading for the stairs so he could shower and change.

Ardyn and his colleague were nowhere to be found, when Noctis wandered through the halls back to his room. It was possible he’d already gone to the dining hall to keep their company entertained. Noctis briefly joked to himself that this friend of his had gotten lost trying to find the dining hall, and wondered if he’d be able to find his way there himself without needing help.

His shower was quick, barely enough time for Noctis to savor the warmth of the water and the steam-filled room against his body. He toweled off quickly, combed and dried his hair, and ruffled it back into place before walking over to his dresser to change into the one formal outfit he’d brought with him. If it could be called that - it was a pair of black dress pants (with leather shoes to match), a white collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up and steamed into place, and a navy blue tie. It almost reminded him of his school days. Tying his tie proved a bit of a struggle (okay, maybe he  _ did _ need Ignis’s help more than he wanted to admit) but once he had the knot in place, he slipped the top button of his shirt behind it loose and stepped over to the mirror to get a look at himself.

It was hard, looking into the mirror. Meeting gazes with his reflection. The dark circles under his eyes were still visible, although fading, and it hit Noctis just how hard he felt that formalwear really wasn’t his thing. Outwardly, he was well put together. He was used to having to “look presentable” for company. But was it really  _ him  _ that was staring back? It felt like a whole other person. A suit-wearing rich boy, sheltered behind iron and glass and guardsmen, with hardly a moment of privacy to his name. Except when he slept. And even then, there was always someone stationed by his door. Like he wasn’t something to be protected, but a prisoner in his own fortress. _ Fishing is for common folk, _ he would hear, when he brought up his hobbies. No one wanted to listen.  _ Arcades, are you serious? You can buy every prize they have. There’s no point in wasting money, why bother playing those rigged machines? _

Fishing, video games. Adventuring. Staying up late, reading comic books, eating junk food. Pillow forts. Indoor camping. Sleeping over with friends. Things that regular kids did, all the  _ regular  _ kids his age. He craved normalcy. Dreamed of it. What he would have given to be one of the regular kids. He never had any “friends” growing up. The kids around his age that constantly accompanied their parents to business meetings at the Citadel hardly counted. Lady Iris was nice, but not really someone he would consider a “friend.” Gladiolus - her overprotective older brother, and his Shield-in-Training (royalspeak for Bodyguard) - had also intimidated him into staying far away from her which didn’t exactly help things.

He and Gladiolus never really got along when they were younger. Now the air had eased between them somewhat thanks to Ignis, Gladio’s boyfriend, to whom he really owed his life. Ignis kept Noctis in line, got him to and from anywhere he needed to be when he was too tired to drive himself, and even humored him when he talked about some of his “commoner” habits. Ignis himself had a fondness for cooking, of all things, go figure. Of course as a Tactician, it was his job to be a jack-of-all-trades. But Ignis never once complained of overwork, not within earshot of the Prince.

Noctis remembered conversations with his classmates at his school, their faces, but none of them ever got close to him. They were either too afraid, too absorbed in his popularity, or too interested in flirting with him to actually think of him as a living, breathing being with wants and needs and not just a piece of eye candy. A  _ human. _ It must have been too hard to see past the glaring, obnoxious sign over his head at all times that said “I’m a Prince, Everyone, Love Me Because I’m Rich!” It was the opposite of what he wanted.

He could still feel the eyes on his back, curious, jealous. The whispers in the hall as he passed. Like they didn’t even realize he could hear them.  _ The Super-Hot Prince Noctis, at  _ our  _ school, imagine! We’re so lucky! Who’s he gonna take to prom? Is he even gonna go? Oh, I hope it’s me! No way, I hope he picks me! _

It was disgusting.

At least out here, nobody chased after him. No crowds to fight off, no flashing cameras, no stalking reporters. He was free to explore, wander, sleep, do whatever he wanted - for the most part; but the simplistic rules Ardyn had left him with were nothing compared to the unspoken subtleties required by the Citadel’s overarching sense of decorum. He had far more freedom here in Ardyn’s castle than he honestly knew what to do with.

With one last glance to his reflection, Noctis straightened a stray hair out of his eyes and stepped out the door. The dress shoes he now wore pinched his heels uncomfortably as he walked down the hall and shuffled his way down the stairs in the foyer. Ardyn stood at the end of the stairs with his arms folded against his chest, his back against the carved wooden dragon that rose from the bannister’s end post. He turned when he heard Noctis behind him and offered a smile.

“Formal enough, I see! Perfect. Now, let’s get to lunch. I’ll introduce you to my colleague once we sit down to eat. He’s a man of the sciences - certainly not my area - but we find ourselves working together rather frequently. He’ll become a familiar face around here soon enough, I’m sure,” mused Ardyn as he stepped forward to lead them both off to the dining hall. “He may seem a bit cold, but he’s like that with everyone. If you can find a way to intrigue him, you’ll earn his genuine attention a lot sooner.”

“I’ll… remember that,” Noctis hummed, clearing his throat and running a hand through his hair. Whoever it was sounded intimidating. Best for Noctis to just put on his professional Princely face and make it through the lunch with minimal conflict. Piece of cake. Nothing he wasn’t used to.


	4. Chapter 4

The dining hall was an expansive space, lined by windows from the floor to the ceiling along the left side. A large chandelier hung overhead but it was purely decorative at the moment; the room was well-lit by the pleasant afternoon sun. The table their meal was laid out on was just as expansive, set for at least twenty with an astounding display of food laid out toward the head.

It must have been the castle’s throne room at one point - it was certainly big enough; a large, carved stone chair rose up from the floor in the back of the room to overlook the length of the table and was elevated by two carpeted platform steps. Since the throne was actually chiseled into and from the floor itself, it was possible that Ardyn had decided to leave it there because breaking it off to be either destroyed or carted elsewhere would have been far too much destruction for Ardyn to bear - Noctis could perfectly imagine the agony and despondency in his uncle’s voice as he would mourn while pacing frantically at the foot of the throne, gesturing flamboyantly at the ceiling,  _ oh, why would I destroy such a relic, when it was I who was entrusted so cautiously with this castle? It would be a travesty, a calamity! Surely I would be cursed by the gods above and below for even thinking such a thing. _

At the seat to the right of the table’s head, their guest sat with his hands folded politely atop the tablecloth in front of his empty plate. While his posture was perfect, merely his expression, just meeting eyes with the man, was enough to leave Noctis with chills. Something cold lingered in his gaze. An inquisitive sort of seriousness. His pale blond hair was swept back, neatly styled save for a few strands that fell across his forehead. Thin eyebrows and frown-tight lips gave the impression that he really wasn’t there for lunch on a whim. This man was all business. He was wearing a suit but given the subtle shifting against his chair he seemed to not be too fond of it. Good, Noctis thought to himself, they could agree on at least one thing.

Ardyn gave Noctis’s back a gentle push toward the left hand seat, even pulling his chair out for him, before sitting down at the head of the table. After he spared a glance at his two table guests and the food, he said with a weary smile, “Pardon me, but I have something I must do before we eat.”

He lowered his head and folded his hands, muttering softly to himself for a minute before going silent for another. Noctis wasn’t sure if he should be praying as well - because their guest certainly wasn’t - so he just maintained a calm facade instead. Ardyn had described their guest using such words as ‘critical’ and ‘analytical’ for a reason. 

At the very least, Noctis lowered his head. Although he could feel the man’s eyes staring, not quite glaring, at him across the table, Noctis chose to ignore it and waited for his uncle to speak again to break the uncomfortable feeling in the air.

“Forgive me, old traditions,” Ardyn finally said after unfolding his hands and looking over to Noctis. “Consider it superstitiousness but I like to honor the former occupants of this castle before every meal to maintain the goodwill of any… spirits… that linger here. They say one of the Old Kings that resided here was - ah, I don’t want to go into a historical ramble before we’ve eaten or I’ve had the chance to introduce you to my colleague! This is Professor Verstael Besithia, marine biologist, and my research partner.”

“Doctor, actually,” quipped the man, as he raised his hand to stop Ardyn from speaking. “I no longer teach. You ought to remember that.”

“Ah, yes, how could I have forgotten after you were - ”

“Allow me to continue,” Verstael interjected, frowning at the amused look on Ardyn’s face before turning back to Noctis as if Ardyn hadn’t been speaking at all, “Yes. I’m currently studying the unique marine life that surrounds this castle. Rare species thrive in these near-perfect conditions so I have to take advantage of that. Many of these creatures cannot be found in Niflheim, you see, so I had to do a bit of traveling to further my research.”

Noctis smiled. He loved fish - well, fishing - so they could probably find something to talk about. Remembering Ardyn’s words, Noctis figured his first attempt at conversation ought to be something good. Keep things polite, keep things concise, but always show interest; all things he’d learned quickly when interacting with important politicians and officials.

“Dr. Besithia, I’m Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum of Insomnia. But I’m out here for the summer with my uncle to get away from the city for a while, so you can just call me Noctis. It’s been nice to not have to be so formal all the time. And the best part about staying here: a place I can go fishing! Nobody back home really knows or cares, but I  _ love  _ fishing. I brought all of my gear with me and everything.”

And then there was that intrigued sparkle, just a hint, in Dr. Besithia’s gaze.

“Ah, you fish? Perhaps you could assist me in my research, in that case. Instead of releasing or eating your catch, why not bring a few fish back for me to study?” The man leaned in a bit closer as he continued speaking. “I don’t mind if it’s not exactly a ‘fish,’ I do study any and all types of marine life. If you accidentally catch anything along the lines of, say: a ray, shark, shellfish, jellyfish, octopus… if it’s light enough for you to carry back from your fishing ventures, please feel free to share. Izunia can keep them for me in his office.”

“And it would make the whole floor smell of the sea, I assure you,” Ardyn joked, shrugged, and reached for the basket containing a sliced loaf of bread to pass around the table before taking a piece himself and setting it on his plate. “Well, now that we’ve gotten our introductions out of the way, we ought to eat before all of this food gets cold. My chef, Miss Arlund, did a fantastic job on the meal and I would hate to upset her by wasting food.”

The three ate in silence, and Ardyn was the first to break it to thoughtfully muse aloud, “Noctis, despite the fact that I’m… really not one for the outdoors and such hobbies as fishing, I’m sure Miss Arlund would also appreciate a fresh catch very much. She absolutely adores pescatarian cooking, which is perfect given our close proximity to the sea. I’m sure you can agree that the fresher the catch, the better the taste. And you’d have a hand in serving dinner!”

Noctis was in the middle of spooning mashed potato onto his plate (a small amount, to be polite) when Ardyn finished speaking. “I think I can do that. I’d been wondering but I didn’t know we were that close to the sea. Would I have to drive, or can I walk?”

“I’ll give you directions later, certainly. For now, we ought to focus on eating; I see you’ve only got potatoes and bread on your plate. You must eat more than that! Even though you’re twenty now you’ve still got more room to grow, I can sense it!”

“Interesting,” observed Verstael, just loud enough under his breath for Noctis to hear, “I had assumed he was older.”

As Ardyn passed a few pieces of meat onto Noctis’s plate, Noctis just let him, and glanced across the table at Dr. Besithia again. A smirk turned the corner of his lip ever so slightly, but immediately disappeared when he caught the Prince watching him. It was like Noctis was back at home for just a moment, this meal reminiscent of one of many dinners where he was chided by his father for not eating his vegetables. Except this was a little bit weirder.

At least the food tasted a lot better than he’d been expecting. Like there was emotion,  _ love, _ maybe, put into the meal. Like when Ignis would cook for him, because his passion for cooking showed clearly in everything the man prepared. Maybe this Miss Arlund and Ignis were distant penpals, although Ignis never mentioned having any friends that enjoyed cooking as much as he did. That would be something to text Ignis later over, maybe tease him a bit, at his and Gladio’s expense. Noctis fought back the urge to admit he was starting to miss Insomnia - but only because of them. They were really what helped his daily life stay bearable. But now they were too far away to hang out with, and this castle was definitely too far away from anywhere to try to find new friends.

Now he had the chance to catch up on all the things he couldn’t do back in the city. He had to remind himself that, as he ate his meal. His uncle and Dr. Besithia ate in silence, and the latter was the first to finish his food and thank Ardyn politely for letting him stay.

“Oh, of course. You’re  _ always  _ welcome, you know!” Ardyn responded, while raising an eyebrow in suspicion through his smile. Verstael paid no attention to that, even as Noctis caught the gesture and wondered exactly what he meant by it. To Verstael, in a playful lilt, Ardyn added, “If you would like to wash up and rest before we leave, you’re welcome to. As I recall you still have access to your room? I have so many keys I often forget which one goes to which door.”

“Yes, I still have my key, Izunia. So, if you will excuse me…” With a bitter frown at Ardyn, and a quick nod in Noctis’s direction, Verstael took his chance to leave. He stood, brushed a few stray crumbs from his sleeves, and walked back toward the main hall, closing the door behind him.

“Pleasant guy,” observed Noctis, and Ardyn shrugged. “Is he always like that?”

“Unfortunately, yes. His brain is all science, no compassion! But I try not to take it to heart too much, because I see how… devoted he is to his research. Perhaps his - compassion - is shown in different ways than the ones you and I might expect. Such is the brain of the scientist, I suppose?”

Noctis tapped a finger on the table as he wondered about what exactly  _ was _ in Dr. Besithia’s brain. “Yeah, I guess… well, um, anyway - I don’t wanna make you late to that dinner thing. Thanks for the food, it was really good! I think I’m gonna wander around some more, maybe go back to the lake.”

“I’ll certainly let Miss Arlund know you approve of her cooking,” Ardyn mused, and when Noctis looked back to his uncle’s chair to ask him something, he nearly jumped out of his own. Ardyn was gone. The chair was pushed back against the table and all the food had vanished, leaving just a set of pristine silverware and empty plates behind.


	5. Chapter 5

That night, Noctis laid down in his bed and spent a good few minutes staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep. After Ardyn had disappeared from the table earlier that day, he hadn’t seen him or Dr. Besithia since. The manor was eerily quiet the whole afternoon, except for the whispers of the summer wind against the walls and the soft clicking of his shoes against the floor echoing through the empty hallways.

After rolling over onto his side, Noctis closed his eyes again. He tried to picture something peaceful, to convince his brain to let him sleep. The only thing that came to him was that dream from the other night, where he was fishing on a boat in the ocean surrounded by nothing but water and sky, the waves gently pushed by a light-salt breeze. He tried to center himself in that dreamscape, pulling every detail back to mind as best as he could.

When he looked over the side of the boat, he could see beneath the waves and through the water - but instead of fish and the seafloor, it was an overhead view of the castle grounds. His car was still parked out front. Clouds floated beneath him and if he reached out his hand to dip his fingertips into the water he could almost touch them. But as soon as his skin brushed the surface, the image of the castle blurred and shimmered beneath a bloom of ripples until it fizzled out and darkened into a deep, glowing abyss.

There was a door through the darkness. Schools of colorful fish flitted around it,  _ through  _ it, but there was something  _ deeper _ that Noctis couldn’t quite see behind that door catching his eye.  _ Moving. _ Reflecting shadows trapped behind the wood. When he leaned down to press his face against the water to get a closer look, he tumbled off the boat and immediately landed on the floor of the dark space - thankfully without pain. The door in front of him opened slowly as if on its own, and past creaking groans from the ancient wood, an immense glass wall spanned nearly the entire length of the room. All the colorful fish that had been freely swimming about before were now confined within bubbling water behind it, swimming in turbulent, indistinguishable masses.

Noctis stepped close to the wall and put his hand against it, awestruck by the eerie, glowing, almost bioluminescent beauty of this strange aquarium. The swarming fish parted just enough to let something through: a hand, reaching out.

But that hand was, with a closer look, not quite  _ human _ .

Black-tipped, clawed fingers, the delicate webbing between them expanding as the palm spread wide and pressed to the glass. Scattered scales along the skin pulsed a bright gold, almost like a warning sign. As Noctis followed the path of the arm as it disappeared into the school of fish, he caught a glimpse of blond hair and wide amethyst eyes shining beneath.

And then the fish stopped swarming, slowed, and parted to lazily swim away as if the frenzy had never occurred. As they disappeared they revealed the full body that the mysterious hand belonged to. The first things Noctis saw were the tentacles, twisting and writhing wildly, almost  _ anxiously, _ beneath what appeared to be a human torso - as if human and octopus had somehow merged seamlessly into one creature. And somehow, he almost looked…  _ familiar. _

Noctis fell back and braced his arm against his face, fearing attack, expecting it. But he waited, and nothing happened.

A muffled noise in front of Noctis made him slowly lower his arm. Those purple eyes were watching him with an expression that he’d never felt before. A frightened despair, tainted by curiosity. Bubbles rose freely from half-parted lips like this creature wanted to speak and visibly fought to form words with a struggling tongue. Instead, strangled gurgles escaped even though the sound was stifled by the glass. Although Noctis couldn’t fully hear, he knew exactly what the creature was trying to say as he pressed his own hand to the glass and met those alluring, pleading eyes again.

_ Help me. _

_ Please. _

~~~~

Noctis jolted awake as the words finished leaving his mouth:

“ - I’ll help you!”

It took him a moment to collect himself, to realize that he was in his bedroom and looking up at the ceiling. No mysterious aquarium, no fish, no darkness. Just the morning light and the warmth of the blankets surrounding him, yet it felt so foreign as Noctis continued to work through the slow process of fully waking.

Whatever -  _ who _ ever that creature was, he seemed hurt. Upset. Terrified. And had been trying to tell Noctis something, that much he was sure of.

The creature’s eyes kept haunting him - that bright, frantic stare that burned into his memory and outlasted the slippery transience of his dreams. Noctis closed his eyes and rubbed at them with the heels of his palms, and jumped when a voice floated over from nearby.

“Help whom, exactly?” Ardyn asked, a sly smile just barely visible to the still-waking Prince as he leaned back in the chair across from Noctis’s bed.

“H-Hey! How… did you get in here?” countered Noctis, more defensively than he intended. He hadn’t heard the door open; his uncle  _ really _ needed to stop doing his disappearing-reappearing act so frequently, it was starting to get to him… the thought that Ardyn had either watched him (for how long?) while he was sleeping, or inexplicably appeared out of thin air was uncomfortable either way.

Ardyn waved a hand toward the door before settling his hands together in his lap as if they were simply having a casual discussion and nothing more. “I was walking by and heard you shouting in your sleep, so I thought to check on you. Are you feeling alright? You sounded… hurt.”

It was impossible to fight the prying gaze that Ardyn fixed on him, but stubbornly Noctis kept his eyes on the blankets and his hands above them, gripping the sheets tightly into his closed fists. “I’m fine. Just a weird dream… but I’m okay.”

“Ah, that’s good to hear. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.”

“Wait - ” Noctis called, raising his head as Ardyn stood from the chair. He hoped he would either be quick enough to stop him before he vanished or catch him in the act and prove he wasn’t just imagining things. “I need to ask you something.”

“Yes, Noctis?”

“What… what is it you do, again? Your job? I don’t think you ever told me.”

“Well, officially,” began Ardyn, resting his hands on his hips as he spoke, “restoration of historical buildings, such as this one. I’m a collector, you see. I have accumulated many valuable historical items and stored them in this manor, seen to their proper keeping, you know? Like a live-in museum, of sorts, only… far more amusing.”

“And… Dr. Besithia?”

Ardyn took a step toward the door, but paused. “My dear companion Verstael is a marine biologist, remember? He’s a different sort of ‘collector’ than I but there are certain… Subjects… that overlap in our studies, so he’s a knowledgeably intelligent source of useful information.”

“Does he - ? No - no, nevermind…” Noctis frowned, shaking his head and wringing his hands together against the blankets. Something told him that the dream he’d had wasn’t entirely just a dream. Something otherworldly was going on in this manor and now he really needed to find out what it was.

“If you’re concerned about the well-being of his research subjects I can assure you they’re  _ very  _ well taken care of,” asserted Ardyn, as he opened the door and slipped out into the hallway. His parting words, spoken just above a murmur: “But don’t pry around. Verstael doesn’t take too kindly to people that won’t follow orders. I can’t have my precious nephew getting hurt if he gets tangled up in confidential business… but if you break the rules, you’ll suffer the consequences.”

“Wait, getting… getting  _ hurt?” _ Noctis repeated, hesitating. He started to ask another question, but by that time the door closed behind Ardyn and he was once again alone in his bedroom. An uncomfortable knot weighed heavy in the pit of his stomach despite the pleasant chirping of birds just outside the window and the warmth of the sun as it brightened the room. Just what was his uncle talking about? Was he implying that Noctis was in  _ danger _ if he got too nosy?

Cursing himself, Noctis knew he should just mind his own business, but he couldn’t. Those eyes from his dream, he needed to see them again. To reassure whoever they belonged to. He couldn’t explain why, but the threat of harm just made him more determined to find the truth. This was serious. If such threats were made to him, Noctis didn’t want to imagine what horrid fates Dr. Besithia’s “research subjects” met.

“I’ll help you,” Noctis repeated to his empty room. Praying that the creature from his dream, somehow, could hear him. Maybe if he reached deep enough into his memory, he could reconnect - no matter how ridiculous the thought, nothing was too strange anymore. “I’ll help you, somehow. I promise.”


	6. Chapter 6

Both time and weather passed at ever-changing paces at the manor, as if the whole property was surrounded by its own timefield. One moment it was sunny and pleasant, the next it would be storming; heavy black clouds and rapid rain conjuring as if from thin air only to disappear and leave windswept gardens and damp grass in its wake, with dew like drying tears scattered along the lawn. Sometimes it happened multiple times in one day, and Noctis would watch awestruck as the clear blue sky disappeared into a blooming darkness. As if the world around the castle was angry about whatever was going on unseen within its depths. As if the sky were weeping, fearful, for the strange happenings.

While keeping an eye on the clouds, Noctis began to formulate a plan to explore more of the manor. But first, he needed a cover, and that meant more fishing. It would give him an excuse to talk to Dr. Besithia again. And maybe that would help him clear his head, if he really was dreaming and nothing more.

Maybe it was the summer heat, or the air - maybe it was still too fresh for his citybound mind.

But it was those eyes, like two beautiful gemstones, shining clear and bright in the back of his mind. He couldn’t let that go. He needed answers.

The view outside his bedroom window was pleasant, cloudless blue sky and warm sun - so Noctis took this chance to grab his fishing gear, pocket his phone, and head out of his room and down the stairs to the side door with the path that would take him back to the lake. By now he had a small portion of his usual routes within the manor memorized, so he didn’t find himself lost this time.

On his way down the stairs, he caught a glimpse of the familiar white tails of a lab coat disappearing behind a door and almost went to chase after him - it had to be Dr. Besithia. At least, Noctis thought, he’s here today. So his plan had a solid start.

Ardyn waved nonchalantly to Noctis as he stepped off the final stair to the main floor, and Noctis nodded back, offering an awkward hello in response.

“Going fishing, Noctis?”

“Yeah. It’s a nice day out! Thought I’d have another go at fishing. I can bring back some for lunch, if you want? And some for Dr. Besithia, too. For his, uh. Research.”

Ardyn smiled and clapped his hands together. “Wonderful! Do watch the sky, though, that rainburst is awfully persistent. It just comes and goes without warning! You may need to take an umbrella along with your things. I’d offer to carry your equipment for you, but alas, I’m far too busy.”

Noctis shrugged and immediately blurted, “No, no! Don’t worry about that, I’ve got enough hands for this, I think I can carry it all. I’ll… probably be gone for a few hours? I thought I saw Dr. Besithia down the hall but I wasn’t sure. If he is here, will you tell him to wait before he leaves? So I can give him my catch.”

“Sounds like a plan! At least let me get the door for you, that all looks dreadfully heavy.”

“Sure, thanks.”

Ardyn trailed a few steps behind the Prince as they walked toward the side door. His uncle was humming softly to himself, almost inaudibly, as he tucked a stray strand of his long bangs behind his ear. Despite all the odd things going on around the manor, Noctis began to wonder how much of it had to do with his uncle. Was he also just caught up in this craziness, did he have anything to do with it?

“Here you are,” said Ardyn, the sudden sound of his uncle’s voice bringing Noctis out of his thoughts. The door was open, and Ardyn had his hand pressed to the wall beside the frame. There was a sparkle in his eyes as he added, “If you would like, I can ask Miss Arlund to help you with your catch once you’re ready to return. I’m sure she’d be more than happy to see what you can reel in!”

“Oh, yeah, that’d be cool! Can I… call you when I’m done, then?”

“Absolutely, I don’t have too much planned today. Other than pestering - ah, I mean,  _ assisting _ \- dear Verstael, but he usually ignores me nonetheless while he’s working. Ah, well! I don’t want to keep you any longer - I’ll be awaiting your call.”

As soon as Noctis stepped out into the side yard, he turned to thank Ardyn but he was nowhere to be found. The door closed slowly as if on its own, and Noctis just turned his head and told himself to keep walking down to the lake so he could hide his sudden, and likely visible, discomfort. He  _ really _ wished Ardyn would stop doing that. It was almost like he was a ghost - but that would be impossible. The first thing he did when Noctis arrived was hug him, and he certainly felt just as real as everything around him.

Since coming out to the manor, Noctis’s whole perspective had changed and shifted. As if what was real suddenly wasn’t, and what wasn’t became suddenly possible. This upside-down back-and-forth inside his head was definitely making him dizzy, but a nice, quiet hour or two fishing at the lake would likely fix all his problems. Maybe reset his brain to stop thinking such strange things. Everything had an explanation - it always did.

Didn’t it?

He stayed out to fish for about four hours, catching a few here and there although he was more thankful for the opportunity to just enjoy the peace; all his catches were decently sized but nothing worth offering Ardyn for a meal. So he scooped a little more water from the lake into the cooler that held his fish and snapped the lid closed, to take them back to Verstael instead.

A gentle trickle of rain started up, and Noctis had to run back down the path when the rain came down harder, hoping he wasn’t jostling the poor fish in his cooler too much in his rush to get back to the manor. Ardyn was waiting for him by the side door, which he had propped open with his elbow and was gesturing frantically for him to come back inside.   
  
“Hurry, hurry!” his uncle cried, waving for Noctis to make his way inside while trying not to let too much of the rain sweep in with him. “Quickly, but watch your step!”

When the door closed behind Noctis, the sound of the rushing rain dulled to a gentle  _ whish- _ ing against the wood and stone, and quiet, occasional taps along the nearby windows. Noctis glanced out the window and felt the cooler heavy in his hands as the fish within swam in circles in the dark, and for a second he wondered if the sudden  _ thunk _ on the window and - was that a  _ handprint? _ \- was his imagination, or was it something else…

“Oh dear, was that hail? We should find someplace else away from the windows to dry off. Come along, come along, dear Noctis, I’ll bring you to the library. There’s a wonderfully warm fire burning in the fireplace right now, it’ll help you dry off in an instant.”

Noctis barely had enough time to stammer, “Wh-what about the fish?” as Ardyn’s insistent hand pressed to his back and ushered him away to the library.

“I’ll take care of that, don’t you worry; I’ll deliver them to Verstael myself while you’re drying off. When I come back, I’ll bring some cider with me. How does that sound?”

Cider, something hot, really  _ did _ sound pleasing right about now, when he was completely soaked through and shivering. He didn’t realize just how cold he was until they both entered the library and a pleasant, smoky warmth and the musty air of old books filled his lungs. It was an oddly comforting, mingling scent, and it almost reminded him of his days back at home when he would hide in the Citadel’s grand library, building a fort out of whatever books he could reach on the shelf and hiding in it until someone would come to find him. Usually Ignis, and he would bring snacks with him - because he knew Noctis would be difficult to “lure” out of his little fort otherwise. When Noctis chuckled at the memory, Ardyn removed his hand from his nephew’s back and raised his eyebrows.

“Is something wrong?” he asked, tilting his head. There was a slight spark in his eyes, but it dimmed down as he pulled the cooler from Noctis’s hands and nearly stumbled at the full weight in his grip. “Ah. Well, stay right here, and I’ll be back before you know it.”

Noctis peeled himself out of his jacket and when he thanked Ardyn, he was gone. The only indication he’d been standing there just a few moments ago was a small trail of water droplets from where he’d taken the cooler.

_ It just keeps happening… what is going on? _


	7. Chapter 7

It felt like Ardyn was trying to tell him something. If he wanted to disappear as if it were normal, he wouldn’t wait for Noctis to see him before making his usual mysterious exit. He could just _do_ it, but he’d only performed his “vanishing act” the moment Noctis’s gaze averted for even the slightest second…

Uneasy, Noctis rolled over in his bed and frowned as his thoughts whirled wildly. It was late, too late, but he couldn’t sleep. He just kept thinking about Ardyn and his disappearances, and just the feeling that _something_ was happening around him. Ardyn was shrouded in mystery himself, but it wasn’t just him - it was him, the manor, that scientist Verstael - Dr. Besithia - and the dreams he kept having. If Noctis went to sleep now, he wondered if he would see that strange aquarium tank again, and those amethyst eyes?

_Noctis!_

The sound of a voice, clear as day yet echoing of bubbling water filled his ears and Noctis jolted upright, yanking the blankets aside and calling out, “Who’s there?”

_…Noctis…!_

The call came again, softer this time, and it sounded like it was coming from just outside his door. When he walked over to open it, he heard voices - not the voice calling to him, but a muffled conversation between Ardyn and Dr. Besithia instead; they must have been passing by just as he went to open the door. A coincidence? …Another coincidence?

Noctis could just make out their words through the thick wood.

 _“He’s quite healthy, wouldn’t you say?”_ came Ardyn’s inquisitive voice.

 _“Oh, absolutely, the Subject has put on quite a bit of weight. It seems your nephew’s fishing skills have come in handy - I’d rather not spend valuable researching time doing… that,”_ Dr. Besithia said, in a bitter tone. _“I’d rather put effort into the impossible task of cleaning up the basement to make it a more proper facility.”_

_“Why not ask for my help? Ah, no matter. Your dear Subject is in capable hands, although I believe he may be getting too big for the tank and - ”_

Ardyn’s next words were muffled beyond recognition, and Noctis understood why when he caught the sound of a door closing.

The sound, and realization, rang in his mind like a bell.

_The basement._

_Why,_ Noctis thought, as he pulled the door open, _why didn’t I think about the basement?_

It was in that little booklet from Ardyn he’d received when he first arrived at the manor, but he really didn’t think much about it. If Dr. Besithia were hiding… _something…_ down in the basement, that would explain the all-capitals warning of _“DO NOT ENTER THE DUNGEON”_ and the note that he “didn’t like to talk about work.”

“Work”… dungeon-basement, a shady marine-biologist, and his uncle who kept mysteriously dissipating into thin air… maybe what was going on here wasn’t something explainable by pure science. There had to be some kind of supernatural force at work. How else could all these strange “coincidences” be explained, other than magic?

As quickly and quietly as he could, Noctis made a beeline for the stairs and followed the path of the map in his mind to the basement door. It was unassuming on the outside, but… if his dreams and his gut feeling were leading him in the right direction, all those things he saw had to be down there. And that creature - that boy, had been calling out to him for far too long… what if Dr. Besithia was really hurting him? What if he was in danger?

When Noctis pushed on the door, he was surprised to find it unlocked. Perhaps it was Ardyn being too trusting of Noctis to follow his instructions, or either he or the scientist simply forgot - it was late at night, after all, and it sounded like both of them were weary as they stepped past Noctis’s door earlier…

A row of torches lined the walls, lighting the way down the worn stone staircase. Noctis watched every step as he walked because if he slipped and fell, made any kind of noise… he feared what would happen if he was caught. And he didn’t want to find out.

At the bottom of the stairs, Noctis blinked when he realized the door greeting him was the door from his dreams. That had to mean…

Slowly, he stepped forward and pushed the door open, holding his breath anxiously as the opening door revealed a wide, expansive basement. It was dark, scattered with bookshelves… but there was nothing else. Noctis knew there had to be more… a secret bookcase-entrance to the real “facility” - as Verstael had called it? Or was his brain just filling in the blanks with whatever fantastical assumption he could think of?

Noctis closed his eyes and listened. He could hear the distant sound of computerized beeping, faint rustles and rhythmic mechanical clinking, and… bubbles. To his left. When he opened his eyes, sure enough, he traced the path of the sound and discovered a door that almost blended into the wall, one he hadn’t noticed at first. Pulling his phone from his pocket, Noctis activated his flashlight and took a look around the room he was in before advancing up to the door.

There was so much in this room it was too much to take in at once. The bookshelves were the most prominent feature of the room - although hidden behind a lot of the clutter, several display-boxes containing various items were just barely visible in the light from his phone. Small skeletons, with what looked like insects’ wings protruding from their spines… a bottle containing a liquid that glittered and changed colors when Noctis shined his flashlight against it… a jar filled with water containing a piece of moss and a single, rather deadly-looking black and purple mushroom - or was it a jellyfish? This far back, it was hard to tell. Whatever it was, it didn’t feel _real._ Nothing in this place did.

Several volumes of barely-intelligible, verbosely scientific work spanned the shelves, intermingled with something surprising: some familiar fantasy novels, numerous encyclopediae, and journals titled such things as “The Hidden Chemistry in Witchcraft,” “Tracking the Hydraean’s Elusive Swimming Patterns,” “The Mystifying Biology of Mythical Ocean-Dwellers: Using Science to Explain the Unexplainable,” “Curses, Superstitions, and Spells to Counteract Them,” and “Beginner’s Guide to Faehunting.”. From what he could see, these books were well-worn, their spines bearing bend-marks from what must have been years and years of perused pages. Some of the text on the spines was barely legible, and some of the binding on the books toward the top shelves barely held their pages together.

He could have stayed for hours just to pick through the shelves, but he had to find out what was behind that door. Pushing aside his nervousness and gathering courage, Noctis stepped up to the door he’d spotted earlier and opened it.

This was the room from his dreams. A giant, dimly-lit tank spanned the full length of the wall at the back of the room, and a single desk stood in front of it. Some shelves lined the corner to his right, as well as a few computer screens (which was where the beeping had been coming from) and an oblong, glass container with unrecognizable instruments attached to the sides and bottom. Noctis shined his phone light forward and stepped closer to the tank, watching as fish flitted about and found places to hide amid the rocks and structures that scattered across the tank floor.

He didn’t see anything else, at first, but a gentle swish of black along the bottom of the tank like a shadow crossed his vision, and then…

The shadows rose up from the tank floor, and in the faint glow from Noctis’s phone light, he realized he was finally face-to-face with the boy from his dreams. Wide, black-gold tentacles fanned out behind him, twisting and curling in the water anxiously, and his eyes - that mystical, deep purple - met Noctis’s immediately. The boy’s mouth opened as his hand pressed to the wall of glass between them.

Noctis just couldn’t speak. His heart was pounding. Those sparkling purple eyes were so beautiful, so expressive, so _magical;_ Noctis hardly noticed the swish of the boy’s blond hair across his face when he leaned close and pressed his forehead against the glass, opening and closing his mouth again as if trying to form words.

~~~~

~~~~

Guessing what he was trying to say, Noctis offered a nervous smile and asked, “Hey… can you hear me? Can you understand me?”

The boy blinked, tilted his head, and then wrapped two of his tentacles together as if thinking, concentrating really hard. After a long moment, he stopped, looked back to Noctis, and the gills lining his ribcage flared wildly as he nodded, once, then twice.

“Okay, that’s good,” Noctis said, his voice shaking as he continued, “It’s me. Noctis. You’ve been… calling to me, haven’t you?”

More vigorous nodding followed his question and Noctis smiled.

“What’s your name?”

The boy frowned, chewed on his bottom lip with his sharp teeth, and his tentacles curled together again. His face glazed over in a look of complete focus before he let out a flurry of bubbles from his mouth and pointed at the desk behind Noctis. He pressed his webbed fingers against the glass again, and curled his hand into a sort of pointing gesture to lead Noctis to a journal that laid open atop the desk.

“What’s… this? Can I find your name in here?” Noctis asked, glancing back to the boy, but he just pointed more enthusiastically at the book on the desk as more bubbles rose from his lips, and a faint, gurgling sound accompanied it, although muffled by the thick glass. “Alright, I’ll take a look.”

The handwriting was neat, surprisingly legible despite the apparent excitement of the writer… when Noctis turned over the cover of the journal he felt his heart skip a beat in terror as he read the title:

**_Case Records of Verstael Besithia, Regarding Recently-Acquired Subject 05953234_ **

His name… was a bunch of numbers? That couldn’t be right. Noctis turned back to the blond boy, and said, “You can’t just be named after a bunch of numbers… that must’ve been Dr. Besithia’s doing. Can… can you try to tell me your name?”

The boy closed his eyes, and his black, webbed ears pressed tightly to his head before he opened his eyes again and carefully put his lips together.

_“...Pr...Prom...pto.”_

“Prompto,” Noctis repeated, and Prompto smiled widely before swimming in a little, happy circle at the sound of his name leaving the Prince’s lips. “I like that name. It suits you.”

Prompto smiled even wider, but the smile disappeared immediately as he pointed back to the book again and slowly managed the words, _“Read… more.”_

“You want me to read more? …Alright. I’ll keep going.”

Swallowing, and trying to ignore the lump in his throat, Noctis began to read, starting at the very first page of the journal.


	8. Chapter 8

**_Case Records of Verstael Besithia, Regarding Recently-Acquired Subject 05953234_ **

**_V Month, XVIII Day_ **

_Progress toward goal: minimal_ _  
__New research subject acquired_

_Subject Catalogue 1.025_

_Identification Case Number: 05953234_

_Deep-sea exploration mission: success_

_Minimal visible damage to vessel_

_Chipped paint & various dents to the hull _

_Front camera repair & replacement required _

_Net replacement required_

_Harpoon storage repairs required_

_Today I have finally achieved progress. Even despite my exceedingly depleting resources I was able to capture a beautiful new specimen. Construction is set to begin for its new housing tank tonight with the estimated completion time set for tomorrow morning. Initial observation provides little information - Subject is withdrawn, visibly frightened, and hides beneath its own tentacles. Additional note: must buy an industrial water filter for new tank. The amount of ink this creature can produce is astounding - to keep it from asphyxiating on its own fluids it has been relocated four times into increasingly larger tanks since its arrival. Subject is very heavy. Some difficulty in transferral due to the Subject's size, assistance required despite possible contamination._

**_V Month, XIX Day_ **

_Case Number 05953234_

_Initial isolation has proven to yield positive results. It has stopped inking every inch of the new tank upon realization that the filtration system will remove all traces of the solution from the water. Sample will be pulled from the filter at replacement tonight to avoid potential cross-contamination. Unobscured examination planned to resume today. I am hopeful that this Subject will survive longer than the last four in captivity. Probability of its survival is currently high._

_General Notations on the Subject’s Physical Form:_

_\- Subject’s tentacles, several feet in length, appear black with a tarnished-gold underneath, and the sucker pads blend easily in the same shade of gold as its webbing. Its hands appear to be webbed as well, with observable “claws” as nails. Several patches of golden “scales” scatter across the dark vastness of its tentacles, as well as its torso, neck, and face. Pale skin and thin frame likely due to prior undernourishment. It currently has little appetite or desire to eat when left alone with live food offerings._

_\- Subject appears half-humanoid (with the exception of its ears) and has short, blond, wavy hair. Age indiscernible. Sex currently unknown - no visible hectocotylus or humanoid genitalia. Its tentacles move too quickly to make an irrefutable scientific conclusion. It is unknown if the creature’s fantastical origin would lend itself to natural biology. Will be updated upon closer inspection._

_\- Subject has purple eyes. Unusual coloration may be due to the depth of its former dwelling as a possible adaptation to overcome reduced visibility when swimming in dark waters. Observed humanoid expressions so far: fear, sadness, frustration, curiosity, innocence. A satisfying range._

_\- Despite the Subject’s humanoid appearance it doesn’t seem to have the capacity to breathe oxygen outside of water. Slight asphyxiation occured upon removal from the tank during prior cleaning. Purified water is an absolute necessity for preservation; in addition, good news: variations in salinity do not seem to have an adverse effect on the Subject’s health as I had originally feared._

_\- Subject’s gills are sectioned perfectly on each side of its front, in three elongated parallel lines just below the ribcage. It is currently unknown if the Subject has human lungs. Rapid undulation observed in the gills when the Subject is visibly upset. An increase in the surrounding water temperature was noted during extreme emotional states as well. This may be a possible defense mechanism._

**_V Month, XXI Day_ **

_Transmitter Injection Attempt #1 - Unsuccessful._

_Attempted during the second daily feeding. Subject discarded its food to attack the application device and crush it with its inner beak and tentacles. No damage to the Subject but the pressure capacity of its tentacles has also been confirmed firsthand in an impromptu experiment - yielding negative results including a bite wound (now sterilized; the puncture marks may be useful at a later time examining its jaw structure & defensive functionality) as well as a broken wrist. Additionally 05953234 has now been recorded making mid-pitched vocalizations in the form of “hissing”, bubbling, and various other sounds as well as baring its fangs in an attempt at intimidation. Speech may be possible. Training to begin shortly upon successful application of transmitter. Sedation may be required. _

**_V Month, XXIII Day_ **

_Transmitter Injection Attempt #2: Successful._

_Sedation procedure declared a quick success. Subject easily pacified by generic tranquilizer. No damage to diving suit, no damage to the transmitter injection device. Closer inspection provided more details on the mysteries of the Subject’s physical form. The facility’s barcode has also been branded onto the Subject’s right wrist to act as loss prevention, or preparation for an absolute worst case scenario. The tracking chip within the transmitter should easily deter any attempts of theft. I WILL NOT lose this Subject._

_Continued Notes on Subject 05953234:_

_\- Genitalia observed; Subject is male. It seems the lower half of the Subject is very similar in appearance to the naturally-occuring octopus despite his supernatural size. Third right appendage is visibly “male” when compared with his natural counterpart._

_\- Subject’s human half is, interestingly, covered in patches of freckles. I have completed a full, noninvasive physical inspection and am very pleased with the results. He is, truly, a fascinating specimen. His gills are healthy despite the delicate skin surrounding them; further analysis may give me a possible lead into providing humans the gift of unassisted underwater respiration._

_\- Cell samples (from skin, hair, and tentacles) as well as blood have been extracted, to be analyzed tonight. Subject is expected to recover from the tranquilizer solution within the hour. Will be fed a third time to ensure proper health._

_\- Upon third feeding, it is discovered he does not care for the taste of certain types of fish such as herring or mackerel, although he sampled a segmented octopus tentacle and didn’t seem to immediately despise the flavor. Yet he refused to take a second piece to confirm my observation. He seems to be studying me even as I study him._

_\- He shows preference for live food such as shrimp, shellfish, tuna and similar species (and even seemed to greatly enjoy the cheap, preserved type in a can when I offered it as a sample). Food may be the way to earn his trust more quickly._

_\- Additionally, his skin has become less pale since his arrival, and he has appeared to gain some weight. I will have to stop experimenting with his tastes unless I plan to expand his tank._

**_V Month, XXIV Day_ **

_Analyses of 05953234’s cells & ink sample complete. _

_Progress toward new goal: gradual but positive._

_Subject is acclimating well to his tank despite minor adjustments in temperature and salinity of the water. There are times I notice as I am working at the desk that he will swim closer, but he will only continue to watch with curiosity if I pretend not to notice his presence. If I meet his gaze or try to speak to him when this happens he will cower away from me and burrow himself into a ball of tentacles in the farthest corner of his tank from where I stand. I suppose the best thing I can do is spend time around the tank, to get him accustomed to my presence to the point that I will not be seen as an imminent threat to his safety._

_Initial reactions to sample analysis results:_

_\- Subject’s hair sample is indistinguishably human. Examined alongside a strand of my own hair for a second comparative analysis and found the same structural results down to the cellular level._

_\- By contrast, an interesting observation: the Subject’s blood - only within the tentacles - is blue in color rather than red, mirroring its cephalopod biology. A secondary sample from the humanoid half confirms this discrepancy. This may yield interesting results in the field of fantastically-inclined medicine, which I will have to consider when reapproaching my unfortunate research assistant’s contacts in the occult studies; perhaps I may give them some of my samples in exchange for a more immediate remedy for my broken arm. Further analysis of samples required when my improved testing equipment arrives._

_\- Skin cell analysis proves the Subject’s ability to absorb water and expel it from the skin at a rapid rate to radiate energy - which was observed in earlier notes as the increase in temperature when provoked._

_\- While the cells from his tentacles appear highly similar in structure to that of a sample pulled from its natural counterpart at first glance, there is something I cannot understand. Such a cell should not exist, with its ‘additions.’ The structure makes no sense to me even with my years of study. There are segments within the cells whose function I cannot immediately comprehend upon observation… it is almost as if the cells themselves discharge some kind of energy irrelevant to their own function, which cannot immediately be contained or described without resorting to supernatural terms. I will find a way to scientifically explain this phenomenon. I’ve discovered something truly fascinating tonight._

_\- The ink sample leads me to another argument entirely. It seems to share chemical similarities to a neurotoxin. The Subject himself is most likely immune to the poisonous effects, but will (as noted previously) suffocate if the surrounding concentration becomes too high, as if mistakenly trapping himself in his own defenses._

**_V Month, XXIX Day_ **

_First attempt today at new experiment involving Subject 05953234: simply noted here as an introduction of various educational stimulants to the Subject’s tank. Experiment’s origins stem from suggestions by my unfortunate research assistant yet again - as an outside source - after observing the Subject’s perceivably “bored” appearance. While the observations were unwarranted, the information received was regrettably important and therefore of use. As was his acquired remedy for my arm, surprisingly. I am completely healed. I will have to thank his contacts in person, at a later date…_

_First introduction: rocks, sand, and other textured miscellaneous “scenery” objects mirroring his original habitat brought in and arranged into the tank while Subject was sleeping._

_\- Initial reaction: Subject was confused upon realizing new additions to the tank had been made, but after a bit of poking and prodding realized the additions were harmless and went about his usual swimming pattern otherwise unaffected._

_\- Further notes: Subject was quick to become comfortable with the introduction of these objects and has seemed to regain some energy and curiosity to explore the ‘new’ structure of his environment. (Perhaps it is just the new daylight cycle simulator we installed, but I have observed that his coloration now appears slightly more vibrant, giving his golden scales a more reflective shine.)_

_\- I have also observed the Subject performing a type of “preening” behavior with his tentacles in secret (he seems too flustered to clean himself while aware of being watched, for reasons I cannot yet comprehend) as he discovers the strategically presented hiding places I have provided him. Perhaps this insight into his more regular behavior will become useful at a later date._

_Second introduction: puzzle “toys” filled with bits of food as the reward for comprehending their function. Extreme flexibility in the tentacles and quick problem-solving skills regarding food retrieval yield extremely positive results and, additionally, a depleted supply of canned fish. A dropped can of tuna into the Subject’s tank - unopened - was quickly pried apart by his tentacles despite the fact that his hands and eyes were kept occupied with analyzing one of the larger oblong reward devices. Subject did initially attack and chew on the “toys” at first, but quickly realized as if by taste distinction that the new objects dropped into the tank were indeed not edible, while the inside contents were. Perhaps that was my mistake for using the opening at the top of the tank solely for providing food until this point._

_\- Interesting note: 05953234 is capable of processing food using both his hidden beak (for ‘tougher’ items) and his humanoid mouth (for chewier foods, such as the canned fish samples). It is fascinating to watch him consume multiple items at once, I have never witnessed such an occurrence before even in any of the prior research subjects. It seems there is a first time for everything. He is certainly keeping me busy. I will need a new notebook soon for my observations. Perhaps I ought to start recording him via film every night as well, in addition to my usual post-procedural audio logs._

_Third introduction: various samples of music via a waterproof radio. Elevated heart rate observed when certain styles of music were played through the device. Responsive to classical music and instrumentals, which left him in a pleased daze while he listened as if hypnotized. This is good information to utilize when we next clean his tank._

_\- Additionally the Subject was the most physically responsive to songs belonging to more upbeat genres (pop, rock, and electro-swing, namely; all of which were donations from my unfortunate research assistant) and was observed curling and uncurling his tentacles in a rhythmic pattern in time with the music’s beat, as well as clapping his hands, and raising and lowering his arms in what I can assume is a dancelike motion. It’s rather cute to see him this excited, if I may allow myself to say so._

_Perhaps the idea of introducing external stimuli to keep him entertained wasn’t such a bad idea after all. I may have to thank Izunia for his observation. An outsider is useful every now and then._

**_VI Month, I Day_ **

_Initial observations: [disregard the following subjective scribbling in relation to the purpose of my experiments, I must keep my thoughts composed.] Izunia is frequenting my research spaces more often, as my interest in the primary Subject increases while more details of his fascinating structure are revealed to me. I had assumed his hands were full with keeping his nephew busy, but I seem to have been mistaken. He has been making even more time for mischief regarding the Subject, and I wish he wouldn’t interfere so insistently. I have done my absolute best not to influence the Subject too directly, for fear I might change his behavioral patterns and therefore risk tarnishing the authenticity of my research goals. It seems Izunia is intent on domesticating my Subject, at which I am not pleased and have made plans to discuss with him in detail should he attempt to further communicate with the Subject about irrelevant personal matters. Results of the conversation will be recorded at a later time, when I am no longer too frustrated to hold my pen._

_In more positive news, the cameras I have set up in the tank have been extremely useful in analyzing the Subject’s behavior while I am not present. However I have additionally observed strange swimming patterns as of late and I cannot figure out the reason why. It seems as if something is bothering him. I have noticed that the Subject’s usual sleep cycle has been disturbed. If the Subject is capable of dreaming, said dreams must not be very pleasant. He has been writhing in his sleep - sometimes so much so that he wakes himself accidentally, at which point he rushes about the tank with his tentacles spread wide, arms raised and flailing and gills flaring wildly, as if trying to frighten something away… before realizing that nothing is there, and settling back into an uncomfortable slumber after pressing his hands to the tank’s main wall and staring out at the laboratory until he can no longer keep his eyes open. I have considered adding a programmable-release sedative capsule to the tank, to be utilized in the event of further disturbance, but this is currently a last resort._

_Indeed the change in sleeping pattern may have something to do with Izunia’s recent involvement. While I cannot communicate directly with the Subject (yet) perhaps it is possible that he has developed a slight understanding of human speech. Sometimes the Subject will open and close his mouth, which produces bubbles. Perhaps he is attempting to make vocalizations that differ from my prior recordings, but the thickness of the tank’s glass is preventing me from fully hearing these vocalization attempts with my own ears. I will adjust the microphone settings in the tank’s cameras tonight to pick up on an increased range of auditory pitch and frequency. Results to be updated…_


	9. Chapter 9

Reading everything, especially in that clinical tone that Dr. Besithia took in his writing when describing what he’d done to Prompto, these _experiments,_ made Noctis feel sick to his stomach. The only comfort he felt was a slow, gently soft hum emanating from Prompto behind him, as if to soothe his anxiety and racing thoughts. Prompto was just another experiment to Dr. Besithia; it was like he was taking advantage of a marvel that would ordinarily be described as “merely fantasy” or perhaps some kind of Frankenstein’s creature - half man, half octopus… but Prompto was more than just a “creature,” and Noctis understood that. He wasn’t something to be kept as a pet, put on display, poked or prodded or analyzed or subjected to such experimentation. Prompto didn’t belong in this tank. He belonged in the ocean, freed.

“I’m gonna get you out of here,” Noctis said, even though he had no idea how he was going to do it. He turned back to Prompto, and put his hand to the glass. Prompto mirrored this by putting his own hand against his side of the wall. “I will. I promise. Somehow… I’ll find a way to get you back to the ocean.”

Prompto smiled but then paused, as if realizing something. One of his tentacles slowly suckered itself to the glass, but he frowned. After a moment, he pulled the appendage away and tucked all of his tentacles beneath himself as if he were sitting on them. He looked around, and his blond hair swished gently across his face as he waved Noctis close.

“...What is it?”

Prompto made a strange set of gestures with his hands, trying to explain something. Eventually, he just settled on pointing at the desk and then across the room until Noctis saw what Prompto was trying to say. Several dark shapes with little red lights, that blinked intermittently, must have been what Prompto was warning him about. Cameras.

“He set up cameras. But you’re blocking me from being seen?”

A happy nod answered, but Prompto’s cheeks puffed out and his gills flared at the reference to the scientist.

“Hey, it’s okay. I’ll… I’ll figure out a way to keep coming to visit you without getting caught.”

_“Ver… Verstael… scary. Scares Prompto.”_

Noctis sat down against the floor and frowned, leaning his head against the glass. He wished he could be closer… he wished he could free Prompto _right now,_ but where would he go? Wouldn’t he be unable to breathe? Rescuing him was going to require a lot of planning, and it was definitely too late for him to get started now. He wasn’t good at making plans on his own - but he knew someone who was more than fit for the job. Two someones.

On the other side of the glass, Prompto wriggled his tentacles out from under himself and laid down with his back against the floor of the tank, letting the dark appendages meander freely and float about. A few fish emerged from hiding to dart between them as they drifted. Again, the suckers of a single tentacle slowly pushed against the glass and Noctis let his hand rest over it, wondering if the comforting desire in his gesture would be understood.

The look in Prompto’s eyes that met Noctis’s told him all he needed to know.

“I’m gonna need some help, but… I think I have an idea,” Noctis said, offering a small smile with his words. Prompto perked up slightly at this, and turned over to prop himself up on his elbows and rest his chin in his hands, watching with interest as Noctis spoke.

“It’ll take a few days, but I can call my friends and see if they can help me out. The ocean isn’t too far from here. If we’re quick enough we can get you out safely before the end of the month without anyone noticing.”

Blinking, Prompto slowly opened his mouth, and a trail of bubbles rose from his parted lips as he repeated, _“Friends? Tell… more.”_

“Oh, yeah! I can tell you all about them,” Noctis said, chuckling. “They’re great people. They’ve both been my friends for as long as I can remember. Back in the city where I came from, they’ve been by my side and helped me through anything, no matter how bad things got. I’m sure if I tell them you’re a friend of mine too, they’ll be happy to help.”

_“Noctis… friend? Prompto friend, too?”_

“Yeah. Friends. Because… you deserve better than to be stuck down here where it’s dark and cramped and a place where you can get hurt. If you become my friend, that means I will protect you, no matter what. I might be just a regular human, but that doesn’t mean I can’t make a little ‘magic’ of my own happen sometimes too.”

As Prompto listened, the skin of his tentacles pulsed a gentle, flickering blue, before disappearing into their dark former color. Did that mean… he was happy?

 _“Can… tell more about home?”_ Prompto asked, blinking, as he tilted his head. _“Noctis home. Not here.”_

“Yeah, I live in a city really far away from here called Insomnia. I was sent here for the summer because things are getting kinda crazy out there - I’m a Prince, and my Dad’s the King, so he’s gotta deal with a lot of people every day. Whenever it gets too much to handle, he sends me out of the city to get away from it for a bit.”

_“Ooh… Prince. Prince Noctis.”_

“Well, out here, I don’t really have to worry about royal business. My uncle left the city years ago for the same reason. So don’t worry about calling me ‘Prince’ and stuff. You can just call me Noct.”

 _“Noct!”_ Prompto repeated in answer, and his tentacles briefly flashed blue again. Noctis finally caught sight of the little patches of dim, golden scales that freckled across them. They sparkled when Prompto’s tentacles pulsed blue, as if in response to the color-change. Prompto shook his hands a little, and as he brushed his fingers over his tentacles in long, slow motions again - Noctis saw something that almost blended into the dark patches of skin at his hands. Several black lines, in varying weights, close together just between the join of his hand and wrist - it looked like…

“A barcode,” Noctis muttered aloud in realization, remembering Verstael’s notes; Prompto frowned when he saw the Prince’s gaze on his hand. With a sad, gurgling sound, Prompto’s tentacles curled up around his torso and his hands disappeared into them to keep the barcode out of sight.

When Prompto nodded, Noctis could see the watery shine in his eyes - he looked ready to cry.

“H-Hey, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring it up,” Noctis rushed, balling his hand into a fist against the glass, and pressing his forehead to the cold surface, closing his eyes. “I’ll… I’ll get you out of here. I will. I promise. I’ll get you back home. I’m sorry.”

When Noctis opened his eyes, he saw Prompto’s face pressed against the glass, almost touching foreheads with him. It just made Noctis’s heart ache with guilt. He wanted to get Prompto out _now,_ but he knew he had to make a plan first. He didn’t want to hurt Prompto in his impulsive drive to free him…

“There… there has to be something I can do to at least make things better while I talk to my friends about getting you out for good. Oh! I know. I’ll sneak you in some more fish. Can you tell me your favorite kind?”

For a moment, Prompto’s brows lowered and he tapped a finger to his lips. He then waved his hands back and forth like he was telling Noctis to step back, so he could stay out of the cameras’ sights. Once Prompto was satisfied that Noctis wouldn’t be caught, Prompto disappeared in a flurry of tentacles and bubbles and came back a short time later, clutching a squirming, fighting fish in his sharp-nailed hands so Noctis could look at it when he could come closer once again.

It was a tuna, and a decently-sized one. He’d have to go out to the ocean for it, but what could be better than another day of fishing _and_ knowing he could catch something for his new friend?

“Hm, I think I can get you a couple of those. I’ll try tomorrow, okay?”

Prompto nodded vigorously, and then with a slightly guilty face, let the fish go. It immediately swam away and made a swift beeline for the large rocks and corals to hide within them, and Noctis laughed as he watched. He stopped laughing when Prompto turned his head and made a pained expression, and his ears twitched as if he heard something he shouldn’t have.

 _“Go,”_ Prompto said suddenly, and Noctis didn’t have to ask why - he swore he could hear the sound of footsteps overhead. _“Hurry, hurry! Go!”_

“Be safe,” was the last thing Noctis said to Prompto before running back toward the door, sparing one last glance to the frightened blond as he left him behind in the tank, with his hands pressed to the glass and his tentacles fanning out in nervous flickers behind him.

_Please be safe._


	10. Chapter 10

Noctis considered himself extremely lucky that the footsteps he’d heard didn’t belong to anyone currently wandering the halls - he quickly ducked out of the basement doorway and made his way up the stairs to go back to his room. His hands shook as he closed the door behind him, locked it, and sat down at his desk with his head in his hands. Everything whirled around in his head like some kind of crazy living dream, but somehow he managed to gather himself enough to reach into his pocket for his phone and call Ignis.

_ “It’s quite late, are you alright?” _ Ignis asked, as soon as he picked up. Just by the greeting Noctis had answered him with, Ignis could tell something was wrong.

“I… I, um… I think I just saw something I shouldn’t have.”

_ “Are you in any danger?” _ questioned Ignis further, and heavy worry flooded his tone.  _ “What’s going on?” _

“I don’t… I don’t know,” Noctis muttered, smoothing his hands down his face as if that would help clear his head. It didn’t, of course, and he sighed as he struggled to find the words to explain to Ignis, to even  _ start  _ to explain what was going on. What he was now entangled in.

_ “I can drive out as soon as you’re ready for me to,” _ Ignis added,  _ “I can notify Gladiolus immediately…” _

“No, no, not - not yet. Let me… let me try to figure out how to explain this to you. Dr. Besithia is… he’s…” Noctis lowered his voice as he continued, like he’s afraid he (or Ardyn) might hear him, “He’s… up to something. I’m gonna ask Ardyn tomorrow if you can come ‘visit’ - just act as casual as possible about it when I get his permission. It’d be better for me to ask before you head out. He… has a way of  _ knowing  _ things. So I gotta be careful. Just… please don’t ask me to explain everything to you until you get out here. It’ll all make sense, if… if I can just show you. This is something you’ll have to see first.”

_ “Alright. I understand.” _ Ignis was an absolute lifesaver for not questioning any of Noctis’s odd behavior. He had to know, deep down, as he always seemed to, to trust in Noctis’s judgement no matter what.  _ “Please be safe, Noct.” _

The very same words Noctis had said to Prompto only a short time ago…

To be safe. It was a desire, a wish, a prayer, all at once.

“I will. You, too. I’ll call you tomorrow as soon as I have an update.”

_ “Goodnight, Noct.” _

“‘Night. And… thanks.”

_ “Of course,” _ Ignis answered, and Noctis could hear the smile in his voice.  _ “I look forward to your call tomorrow. Sleep well.” _

When Noctis put his phone down, he let out the breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. He was one half-step closer to his goal. All that he had to do now was keep himself steady enough, think ahead far enough, to stay one step ahead of Ardyn and Verstael - to keep them from catching on. What he was about to do would no doubt be one of the most challenging things he’s ever faced in his life - but he wasn’t going to do this alone. Ignis and Gladio had his back. They always did.

He only hoped they would still have his back once they saw what they’d driven all the way out to the manor for. Would they believe him? Would he blame them if they didn’t? Noctis just pushed all his doubts aside and stood, practically throwing himself down onto his bed with a flustered sigh. Just one step at a time, he reminded himself, one step at a time, and Prompto will be safe.

That night, Noctis hardly slept. Everything that had happened left him wide awake, tossing and turning in the bed. Remembering Prompto’s terrified face, and the fear in his voice as he spoke, it made Noctis’s stomach sink. It just wasn’t fair - to Prompto, to himself, or any of the other people involved, that Verstael was getting away with this. Figuring out how to explain the situation to Ignis and Gladio was going to be hard enough, but he knew, as with himself, it was something he had to see to understand. Verstael was just that good at maintaining secrecy in his attitude, at least, so speaking to him directly wasn’t going to solve anything. If something was going to be done to free Prompto, Noctis needed more help.

For a moment, Noctis considered asking his uncle for help, given the strange sympathy he’d shown in the glimpse of the conversation he had overheard hours ago… but it was likely a bad idea. It just added more layers to the plan, more things to watch out for. In the end, there were three goals: keep Ardyn distracted so that he doesn’t alert Verstael, keep Verstael far away from the basement so he also doesn’t realize what’s going on, and the most difficult part, freeing Prompto in a way that keeps him safe and unharmed.

_ How am I going to do this? _

For this, he really needed Ignis’s Tactician brain. Planning was never Noctis’s strength, he always was better at just following what his gut told him. So far, it led him into something amazing, but equally as dangerous. But for Prompto, any amount of danger would be worth it. Noctis was sure nothing that Verstael could throw his way would be worse than what he’d forced Prompto to go through, and that in itself was the thing that kept him motivated to make sure this plan went through as smoothly as possible. Something had to be done.

And it started with him. Tomorrow, he would go through the first steps of his plan, to get things ready for when Ignis and Gladio were on their way. The quicker they worked, the better.


	11. Chapter 11

Somehow, Noctis managed to find sleep that night, because he woke what felt like several hours later to the sound of his phone ringing. Still struggling to fully wake up, Noctis just grabbed his phone off the side table and answered it without looking to see who it was.

_ “Helloo~” _ came Ardyn’s voice, and Noctis frowned, although he managed a ‘good morning’ in response, hoping it sounded as normal as possible.

“Is everything okay?” Noctis asked, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand as he sat up and tried to listen for anything alarming - maybe it was just his imagination, but he felt like something wasn’t quite right.

_ “Yes, yes, everything is fine! I was just calling to check on you, since you slept past breakfast. Did you stay up too late last night? Too many adventures have your mind racing, I see?” _

“Not… uh, not really,” Noctis rushed, “just tired. All this fishing, y’know? I’m not used to being able to go out whenever I want. Oh… oh, yeah, that reminds me - can I go out later today, out to the ocean? I want to try fishing out there. I just need a boat.”

_ “Say no more! You can use mine. Well, it’s supposed to be ‘mine’ but it tends to be more frequently put to use by Miss Arlund or dear Verstael, for his own fishing ventures. There’s a dock near the manor, I can show you where it is if you’d like to get as much of an early start at fishing as you can?” _

“Yes, please!”

A boat, perfect. Another thing he could add to his plans, all for later… much better to learn how to drive Ardyn’s boat ahead of time than be caught up in the moment stuck to the dock.

_ “Alright! I’ll be in the library, so just meet me there when you’re finished preparing.” _

“Wait! Before you go… one more question.”

_ “Yes?” _

“I’ve… well, I really miss my friends. I was wondering… since I’d been feeling a little lonely, could they come out here just for a day or two to visit me? They don’t have to stay too long, I just really miss them. Calling and texting them just isn’t the same, you know?”

Ardyn paused, and Noctis could imagine the way he was likely tapping his finger against his chin in thought. He was silent for a long time, and Noctis was about to open his mouth when Ardyn spoke up again.

_ “I do understand,” _ Ardyn said, and for a moment a sort of cautious understanding filled his words.  _ “Yes, your friends are more than welcome, as long as they abide by the same rules as you for the duration of their stay. We have plenty of rooms, more than enough! And, of course, it gives me an excuse to have dinner served on our fanciest plates. Nothing can truly compare to vintage dinnerware, wouldn’t you say?” _

“Uh… yeah?” Noctis and Ardyn both shared a laugh, and things were starting to look up. Things were going well. It took everything in him to keep his fingers crossed that it would continue like this. “Thanks. I’ll let them know. It might take them a while to drive out here, but I’m glad you’re letting them stay. It means a lot to me…”

_ …more than you know, _ Noctis wanted to finish, but decided against it. Another step in his plan was complete. The next step was to notify Ignis and Gladio, and as soon as he hung up he was already calling Ignis. He was too excited to wait even a second longer.

The call with Ignis only took a few minutes, and even as they spoke Noctis could hear the sounds of clattering and boxes moving around, as if he’d been preparing to leave the whole time. Noctis wasn’t sure how long they would be staying, but Ignis just answered with “I always prepare as needed” and that was that. They wouldn’t be away the entire summer, of course.

Excitement in the air felt almost electric as Noctis made his way to the library where Ardyn was waiting for him. It took all of his effort to remain as casual as possible while speaking to his uncle, who seemed not to notice anything was off. He’d been reading a book when Noctis walked in, and placed his bookmark between the pages before shutting it and placing it on the table beside his chair.

“Tell me, when was the last time you’ve sailed?”

It had been a while. Noctis remembered, vaguely, going out to the ocean when he was younger, watching as the shore disappeared the farther out they ventured through the water; he remembered the sky’s bright orange-red hues as the sun dipped into the horizon, casting its own reflection across the water’s deep blue surface. The gentle rocking of the boat with the waves… recalling his memories as a child, and even comparing to now, he felt the most at peace while on the boat back then. It was also one of the first times he’d ever gone fishing with his father, so as the memory came back to him he couldn’t help but smile.

“It’s been years. I’ve kept up on sailing, somehow, even if I haven’t had the time to actually go - and I brought all my licenses just in case. If you show me the controls, I’m pretty sure I can make it work.”

Ardyn frowned at this, and crossed his arms against his chest as he leaned back in his chair. “Ah, that… I cannot do. I’d rather not leave this place unattended, you see. You could always ask Verstael, however, he uses the boat regularly.”

“Well, I wouldn’t want to interrupt him while he’s working,” Noctis said, frowning, also crossing his arms and shifting his weight between his feet awkwardly. Socializing with Verstael at dinner was bad enough, but being alone with him? Noctis had been through many uncomfortable encounters in his life but he wasn’t sure if he could handle talking to Verstael alone. “I think I’ll be able to manage on my own if it’s anything like our boat back home. As long as I have the keys, I can take my gear down, spend the day fishing, and come back later. That reminds me - my retainers told me they’re on their way. They should be here in a few days, since they’re leaving at such sudden notice… this was the quickest they could arrange transportation.”

Ardyn seemed interested at that, and leaned forward. “Wonderful! In that case, I’ll have time to, ah, straighten up a bit. Dust off the cobwebs from the walls, you see.” He paused to chuckle, but it seemed dry and humorless, and was quick to change the subject. “If you’d like, I’ll have Miss Arlund prepare a meal for you, so you won’t get too hungry while you’re out on the water. How does that sound?”

“I’d like that, thanks.”

Ardyn wrote down a note to himself on the notepad resting on the table beside his chair and set the pen down with a satisfied hum. “Now, you should get going, yes? Unless you planned to spend all night on the water beneath the stars, of course. The weather is supposed to be clear, not a raincloud in sight for the next week or so - I’d take advantage of that if I were you. If you would like, you can make your way down to the kitchens and your meal should be ready for you shortly after then.”

After receiving the keys to the boat, Noctis thanked Ardyn one last time before ducking out of the library, leaving Ardyn to return his attention to the book in his hands. By now Noctis was starting to be able to navigate the manor without having to use the map he kept with him, which he was thankful for. He passed by the door to the basement on his way to the kitchens and just gently rested his palm on the wooden frame for a second, as if leaving Prompto a small wish to stay strong. He didn’t want to risk going down there again so soon, not without some kind of “excuse” - the perfect one being a day of fishing for food for his new friend. At least, too, he could be assured that Prompto was eating properly. Whatever small things he could do to help make Prompto even just slightly more comfortable in that big glass trap, he’d make every effort to ensure it.

When he eventually made his way into the kitchens, a woman was standing toward the far wall with her back turned, humming as she inspected a collection of cooking pots on the stove beside her. Her ponytail swished as she turned her head at the sound of the door opening.

“Oh! Hello, you’re an unfamiliar face… you must be Mister Izunia’s nephew?” she guessed, offering a friendly, pleasant smile.

“Yeah, that’s me. My name’s Noctis, but you can call me Noct if you want.” He shrugged somewhat awkwardly as he stepped a bit closer to get a better look at what she was working on. There was a good chance it was what they’d be having for dinner - but he’d be out eating on the boat tonight, so he’d miss out. It all looked and smelled delicious, and his stomach growled at the thought of all of that food - at this, the woman laughed and stepped away from the stove to wipe her hands on her apron before holding one out to Noctis.

“Nice to meet you! I’m Coctura Arlund, the head chef at the manor - well, actually, more like the  _ only _ chef here, but, I can allow myself a little bit of luxury, can’t I?”

Noctis shook her hand. She seemed nice enough, and definitely didn’t give off a suspicious aura like Verstael and Ardyn did.

“I hope I, uh… didn’t give you too much extra work?” Noctis asked as he glanced to the stovetop, and at each pot on top of every burner. “I’ll eat pretty much anything, except for - ”

“Vegetables, right? Mister Izunia told me all about your distaste of green foods. Don’t worry! I left you a good selection to take with you. I won’t be offended if you don’t like anything, of course, I’m still learning your tastes! But I pride myself on my ability to make food that everyone likes. Even the pickiest of eaters.” She winked, and Noctis tried to hide the embarrassed flush blooming in his cheeks by walking over to the stove and noticing that there was a decently-sized cooler sitting beside it, stocked to the brim with all sorts of food, neatly wrapped and stacked on top of each other.

“That’s a lot of food,” Noctis mused, as his eyes went wide just thinking about it. He could eat for days, off of that much food… maybe, just maybe, if he saved enough, he could have a little ‘picnic’ with Prompto… more ideas, for later.

“I made some different dishes for you to try - personal recipes! - so I hope you enjoy them. There’s not a single vegetable in any of the dishes, so I had to substitute a little bit, but I think everything still turned out fantastically. I’d love to know what you think, when you get back from your fishing trip!”

Happily, Noctis nodded. “My uncle said that seafood was your specialty - since I’m going out to the ocean, is there anything you want me to bring back?”

“I would love some fresh crabs, but that would be impossible… I hardly have time to go out and catch my own fish nowadays! My own uncle, actually… he’s the reason I love seafood so much. You know, I bet you two would get along really well! He also loves fishing. He’s pretty well-known for it too!”

“Wait… is your uncle… the legendary Navyth Arlund?” Noctis had remembered seeing the name pop up frequently in a lot of the fishing books and magazines he used to read back in Insomnia, but he’d never made the connection until now.

“Yep, that’s right! The one and only! I owe him a lot, for teaching me everything I’ve ever needed to know about fishing, and all the secrets to preparing the best fish for cooking.”

What an odd, pleasant surprise, to discover that the niece of his fishing idol was the head chef at his uncle’s manor. For a moment he found himself jealous that Ardyn kept such famous company as his staff, but realized that he had enough in common with Coctura to keep a conversation going, and felt like they could be great friends after just meeting once.

“No way, that’s  _ awesome,” _ Noctis said. “He’s, like, a fishing  _ god. _ You’re so lucky! I’d love to go fishing with you both one day. Actually, come to think of it… I think you’d also get along with my friend Ignis. He’s super into cooking too, and when he and I team up - me fishing and him cooking something delicious with it - we always have the best meals. I could introduce you when he gets here! He’s on his way, actually.”

Coctura sighed thoughtfully, and stuck a long, wooden spoon into the simmering pot closest to her, giving the contents a stir as she seemed lost in her mind for a moment. “It’s so nice to be among like-minded company. Mister Izunia doesn’t really enjoy going outside, and that… companion of his? He’s a bit too… scientific… for my tastes. We went fishing together only once, and he kept staring at the catch I was taking back to land with me in this… hungry, commanding sort of way. It was like he’d been analyzing every movement the poor thing made, I honestly felt so terrible after he  _ insisted _ that he take this fish from me as a component for his research, I didn’t go back to the ocean for days after that.”

“He seems to have that effect on people,” agreed Noctis, nodding. In an odd way, it was comforting to know that he wasn’t the only one getting ‘mad scientist’ vibes from Dr. Besithia. How Ardyn managed to look past his strange behavior, Noctis still couldn’t figure out. “But he keeps to himself a lot, so… thankfully, I only really have to talk to him at meal times, if my uncle invites him to dinner.”

They kept up a little bit of casual talking for a while, until Noctis checked his phone and realized he should get going if he wanted to make it out to the water in time.

“Actually, would you mind showing me where the dock is? I know it’s around the property somewhere, but… I’d trust you to help me not get lost,” the Prince said with a laugh and a shrug. Coctura smiled and nodded in answer.

“Sure! I’m done cooking anyway, I can spare a couple minutes walking you down there. Let’s go!”

For a moment, Noctis considered asking her for help, or at the very least - without revealing too much - having her help keep Ardyn or Verstael distracted when it came time to pull off their plan. She seemed friendly enough, it might not be a bad idea to have an extra set of hands or pair of eyes around to keep watch…

These thoughts distracted him to the point that he was hardly paying attention as Coctura grabbed her cooler, closed the lid, and led him down the halls and out through a back door. Noctis had just enough time to grab his fishing gear from where he’d stashed it away and once they were outside, they followed a dirt-and-sand pathway several feet down a slope that eventually opened up to sanded hills and the sound and sight of gently rushing water against the shore. Sure enough, a dock stretched out into the water and a well-kept boat was there, rocking slowly with the tide, as if it had been there waiting for them.

Noctis kept his eyes on the horizon as he stepped onto the boat, and almost like magic, the tension left his body as he sat down in front of the wheel and examined the boat’s features. Coctura, after setting down the cooler on the seat next to his, fished out a life jacket from underneath the chair and tossed it out to him.

“Never hurts to be too safe!” she said with a wink, and Noctis agreed.

“Yeah. With the way the weather’s been out here, it’s like Ramuh himself’s got some kinda grudge against this place, you’d think. All this random rain…”

Just for a second, Coctura’s expression turns to one of anxious thought. “…You’d think… Leviathan, too. But that’s just being superstitious,” she added quickly, stepping off of the boat. “Do you need me to show you how to start the boat?”

The question seemed like an afterthought, so Noctis shook his head. “Nah, you’re pretty busy, I think I can handle it. It’s kinda like the one I had back home, I’ll manage.”

“Alright! See you later… Noct,” Coctura rushed, offering one last, hurried smile before running back up the sandy pathway up toward the manor, leaving him alone to prepare - starting up the boat and sailing off toward the horizon.


	12. Chapter 12

The water was as peaceful as the skies as Noctis guided the boat through the waves. As he steered the boat farther out, he just kept thinking of Prompto. This was his home, deeper down, all the waters below belonged to him and he could travel them freely… All Noctis had to do was get him back out here.

But, deeper, buried in the back of his thoughts, was the realization that he would miss Prompto if he disappeared into the ocean forever and never came back. He wondered if Prompto would do that - just vanish into the sea. That was how it happened, wasn’t it, in the stories? They went back to the sea and were never to be seen or heard from again, leaving their friends or those they love just with the memories they’d made together. It was sad, to think of it like that, but Prompto’s time on land was and should only be a short time in his life. He didn’t  _ belong _ out here. He  _ belonged _ in the depths, the dark, cool water, free to swim and hunt and travel as far as the currents could carry him. He didn’t deserve to be trapped behind a wall of glass in what was surely a suffocating environment.

Noctis thought back to Coctura’s worry about Ramuh, and wondered if it was in fact some kind of godly retribution for Prompto’s abduction from the sea, which would explain the unnatural changes in the weather. If Leviathan found out that one of Her beloved creatures was kidnapped and put on display for the purposes of “research” She would surely be angry. If She… truly did exist.

Out loud, although softly, Noctis muttered out a superstitious prayer to Leviathan for Her blessing. It wouldn’t hurt. Especially, thinking back to that book on Verstael’s shelf - if Leviathan really was out here in the ocean, She could wipe him out with a single flick of Her tail, or swallow him up in his boat without so much as a blink.

He slowed the boat to a stop, and folded his hands together, lowering his head against them as he murmured,  _ “Mother Leviathan, please guide me in returning your lost child home… help me save him, please. This is all I ask.” _

And he waited, half-expecting an answer, half-expecting silence, but… as if humoring him, a low, rough grumble seemed to rise up from the ocean floor, building waves enough to shake the boat and send several fish flopping up against the water’s surface.

**_Bring him home._ **

It was a voice he heard not in his ears, but in his heart. And he knew it had to belong to Her.

“I will, I promise,” Noctis said, as he looked out toward the foaming waves and wondered if he imagined the dark shape protruding from the water… “I’ll save him. I just need some time. And… some fish.”

At this, he grinned, and pulled a folded net out of his fishing gear, happily tossing it over the side of the boat while whispering a silent thanks to the Hydraean for her (unintentional?) assistance. Tangled up within his nets were several different types of fish, some of which he’d never seen with his own eyes before. All shapes and sizes, wriggling and fighting against the mesh as he pulled them into the boat. It was far too many for him to take them all back to the manor, but he did pull a few of the most colorful as well as the biggest couple tuna out of the catch and - with a lot of trouble - pulled the net back over the side to free the fish. He didn’t want to take too much advantage of the Hydraean’s generosity - after all, he was in Her territory and didn’t want to risk angering Her.

Knowing that he had Her approval - or as close to it as one would ever likely receive in their lifetime - made Noctis feel slightly more confident in his planning; if She believed in him, enough to show Herself? Anything could be possible. Even something that seemed an otherwise impossible feat. He could do this. He had his friends, and the Astrals, on his side. Maybe fate, too, if he crossed his fingers hard enough.

When he was sure that the fish had disappeared, Noctis sat back down in front of the wheel and sailed back toward the dock. He stopped just before it, deciding to spend the rest of the evening fishing and relaxing and eating the food that Coctura had made for him. Nothing was really biting now, but Noctis was perfectly content to sit on the back of the boat with his legs dangling over the edge, dipping into the cool water. The salty air was fresh and welcome and helped clear his mind, and the atmosphere around him felt almost hopeful as he watched the sun dip closer to the edge of the horizon.


	13. Chapter 13

When he could no longer see the sun, Noctis decided it was time to pack up and head back to the manor. Carrying everything by himself took a bit of a toll on him but he somehow managed to carry it all back in a single trip. Most importantly, the fish in his cooler were still alive, and that meant he was all ready to go down into the basement to visit Prompto again. The whole manor was quiet, and his footsteps echoed eerily as he walked, but it didn’t seem to alert anyone.

Trying to go down the stairs with the cooler - and not dropping it - was another battle entirely. It took him a good few minutes of inching down each step one at a time before he finally felt safe on the even floor - never did he think he’d be  _ that  _ relieved to be down there, but he knew it was for a good reason. And Verstael was, mysteriously, still absent. He must have either gone to bed early, or left. With him, it was hard to tell. He and Ardyn both had this tendency, bad habits, to appear and disappear at their own conveniences, which kept Noctis on edge as he advanced toward the tank with the cooler in his hands.

Prompto laid curled up on the tank floor. It looked like he had been sleeping, but his eyes were open. They were half-lidded, but he was awake enough to roll over onto his side and uncurl his tentacles, offering a sleepy smile in Noctis’s direction.

_ “Noct… hello, Noct…” _

“Hey, Prompto, I… brought you some fish,” Noctis said with a smile of his own, as he held out the cooler with the lid open for Prompto to look at it.

He blinked slowly, and a little glimmer of happiness flickered as Prompto realized what was inside the cooler.

_ “For… for Prompto?” _

“Yeah,” Noctis answered, nodding, “All yours! Now… how can I give them to you?”

With some difficulty, Prompto pushed himself up and swam in a slow circle before pointing to the left, toward the wall of the tank. When Noctis went to investigate what Prompto was pointing at, he realized that hidden within the bookshelves surrounding the tank was a doorknob, and when he grabbed it, he was surprised to find the door opened without a noise - it was unlocked.

Inside this room, what looked like the back of the tank spanned several feet into the large space, and the widened room allowed for some space between the roof of the tank and the ceiling. The actual furniture in the room was bare, as most of the floor space was taken up by crates, boxes, various complicated-looking machines, and a few more bookshelves that stood next to a desk scattered with papers. Prompto had followed Noctis back into this secondary space, and was pointing at the desk.

_ “Key.” _

“A key?” Noctis asked, while searching along the wall until he found what Prompto was talking about. A ring of keys hung from a hook above the desk, just within his reach. Of course, if Verstael were going to feed him, he’d also have to have a way to ensure he wouldn’t be able to escape… Noctis hated to admit it, but Verstael seemed to have his plans well in order to ensure Prompto stayed put.

When Noctis turned to hold up the key to the glass, he realized that Prompto had nearly disappeared against the sand in the bottom of the tank. He looked absolutely exhausted, like he was struggling to stay awake. Even as his tentacles moved with the water, Prompto just didn’t look healthy at all. His skin seemed even paler, in the bright white lights of this back room, and his tentacles almost seemed to wilt into the sand, like he didn’t have the energy to move.

“Prompto…”

It took Prompto a second to respond, but eventually, his head slowly raised and he pointed up toward the ceiling. Where he was pointing, a set of short ladder-like stairs led to the top of the tank. Bracing the cooler in one arm, Noctis carefully climbed up to the top of the tank and found what Prompto had been guiding him too. It was a cut-out glass door, just over two square feet wide, just big enough to drop a fish (or a person) inside, but too small for Prompto to escape out of.

The glass wall was thick enough for Noctis to set the cooler on top of it without having to worry about breaking it - which was a relief as he searched through the keys on the ring until he found the one that turned the lock.

Prompto slowly pushed himself up as Noctis pulled the lock free and set it aside. As the top of Prompto’s head - just up to his eyes - poked out of the water, Noctis couldn’t stop himself as he reached down to rest his hand on the blond’s wet head. His head was surprisingly warm, and he could see Prompto smiling beneath the water.

“I… I’ll get you out of here.”

One of Prompto’s hands slowly left the water, reaching up to touch Noctis’s palm. His skin was slightly rough, given the scales at his fingertips that scattered down his hands… but Noctis was thankful to be able to share this with him. Was this the first time anyone had shown him tenderness, while he was stuck up here in a big glass trap?

A sad noise bubbled up from the water as Prompto pulled Noctis closer, although he ducked his head back under the water.

_ “Can’t… can’t leave,” _ Prompto said, his voice muffled by the water and the movements of shaking his head.  _ “Need water. Can’t breathe… can’t breathe if there’s no water.” _

“Oh… I… I see.”

That would certainly complicate things, but, with Ignis on the way, he was sure they would be able to figure something out.

“Well! I’ll make sure you can breathe, that you’ll stay safe when we get you back to the ocean. I bet you’re hungry?” Noctis asked, opening the lid on the cooler so he could drop the fish into the tank.

Hunger flashed in Prompto’s eyes as his tentacles immediately latched onto the biggest of the tuna and it disappeared in a flurry of scales beneath them. Prompto made a happy little noise as his tentacles curled inward, and for a moment, it looked like he had a little more of his energy back, just a little more color returned to his skin and scales. That quick glimpse of blue was there, only for a moment, as he finished eating only a short second after grabbing his catch. With how quickly he devoured that fish, Noctis felt guilty, wondering when was the last time he was fed…

_ “Thank,” _ Prompto said, patting his stomach.

“Yeah, you’re welcome! This way, you’ll have some snacks for later, too.” Noctis said back, reaching down into the water one more time to touch Prompto’s head. One of Prompto’s tentacles floated up, and the tip gently nudged his palm. It was a strange feeling, as the suckers pressed to his skin, but he could tell that - in Prompto’s own way - it was a gesture of wordless thanks.

“You look pretty tired,” Noctis added, after noting the way his tentacles began to drift away from his body, slowly, fanning out across the tank. “You should get some sleep? Now that you’ve eaten.”

_ “No, don’t… don’t go,” _ muttered Prompto, and his gills flared for a moment as he reached up for Noctis’s hand with his own, to give it a gentle squeeze.  _ “Please… stay. Don’t leave yet. When… when Prompto sleeps?” _

“Alright,” the Prince said, hoping that the way Prompto squeezed his hand was just out of a lack of energy and not because he was afraid to be left alone… although Noctis understood that feeling all too well. “I’ll stay until you fall asleep. Why don’t I tell you what happened to me today, after I get down from here? A little, um, bedtime story?”

Prompto just nodded, although there was a hint of a frown lingering at the corners of his lips. He watched as Noctis locked the glass door and carefully made his way back down until his feet were on the floor again, and the look on his face - Noctis could tell he was trying not to look too upset.

“I had a little help today… from Leviathan, I think.”

As Noctis spoke, Prompto slowly drifted down and rested against the tank’s sandy floor. He tucked his arms into his tentacles as they curled protectively around him, and listened as Noctis continued talking.

“I… got a little superstitious, I guess, and… while I was out on the boat, I don’t know why, but I prayed to Her. I asked for help saving you. She… made it so I could reach all sorts of fish for you, they were everywhere, flopping like crazy against the water’s surface, it was so… unreal. I wouldn’t have believed it was  _ actually  _ Leviathan, if I didn’t see Her too. She’s… very big. Kind of intimidating. All the tales seem to get that right about Her, that’s for sure.”

Sleepily, Prompto nodded.  _ “Tidemother is… scary. But protective-scary, Mother-scary. Bismarck is… nicer. He also brings fish.” _

“Yeah. I’ll admit… before I came out here? I never really thought anything too seriously about the Astrals, or fantasy stories or creatures, no matter how much they interested me… I always assumed they were just stories. Now that I’ve met you, I feel like I’ve been shown a whole new way to see the world. Knowing that there are things that our minds can’t explain, but are  _ real, _ it’s… oddly comforting.”

Noctis turned to ask Prompto something, but saw that his eyes had slipped closed, and he’d fallen asleep with his hands still tucked into his tentacles, just a little bit of one hand freed from the tangled bundle to linger close to where Noctis’s hand was on the other side of the glass.

“Good night, Prompto,” muttered the Prince, softly, before picking up his cooler and double-checking that he returned everything he’d touched to its proper place before slipping back out into the main front room. Still no signs of Verstael or Ardyn. The desk in front of the tank’s main wall seemed more cluttered than usual, and when Noctis failed to push aside his own curiosity, he stepped closer and found that, on top of all of the scattered diagrams and crumpled papers and pens, Verstael’s notebook was open, to a new page.

~~~~

**_VI Month, II Day_ **

_ Conclusions from yesterday’s observation: the Subject is indeed capable of replicating human speech! This is a fantastic discovery! However… for some reason, the Subject has begun to act strangely when vocalizing. He repeats a single word, over and over aloud to himself, while circling the bottom of the tank and wringing his tentacles together almost to the point of pain. I have never seen his face contorted into an expression of such agony, even counting my prior recordings in which the Subject has been noted to have experienced symptoms of pain or discomfort. I must do something to ease his suffering, and have considered usage of the low-strength sedative to attempt to assist in returning him to a regular sleep cycle. _

_ What does “Prompto” mean to him? Where did the Subject learn the word? Is it something he believes he has made up, or did he somehow acquire it from within the Latin in my research notes? What is he readying himself for? I must stay alert, if I am to learn more. I wonder what other words he will be capable of speaking. I must break my distance to address this directly… even if the interference may disturb the authenticity of my results. _

~~~~

None of that was a good sign. If Verstael was starting to get suspicious… Noctis felt a heavy, uncomfortable weight in his gut at the thought. Suddenly, Prompto’s lack of energy was starting to make sense. If he’d been sedated… there was no telling what else would happen as the days passed, if Prompto became more upset.

Adding to that, the fact that Prompto couldn’t breathe outside of the water… saving him was going to take a lot of careful, meticulous planning. But he had confidence that with the help of his friends, they could do this. They’d been through too much together already to be unable to attempt a challenge like this. Failing was not an option - they  _ were  _ going to save Prompto. This wasn’t a situation that could be threatened by ‘what-ifs’ or ‘maybes.’

With a renewed determination, Noctis picked up his empty cooler and headed back toward the stairs to the main floor. Even as all the books and doors behind him continued beckoning, calling to him, begging his attention - Prompto was the most important. Once Prompto was safe, he could then figure out how to rescue anything else Verstael had caught in his scientific sights.


	14. Chapter 14

Noctis woke the next morning to the sound of heavy, rushing rain against the windows. With a tired groan and a stretch, he sat up and checked the time, it was just after 10 am. When he activated his phone, he saw a couple of missed texts from Gladio.

_ [9:22 - Hey, we’re almost there. Hope you’ll be awake by the time we show up, sleepyhead.] _

_ [9:57 - About another half-hour til we arrive. Also, I almost forgot, Iggy told me to tell you good morning for him. You better wake up, Princess! We’ll be there soon.] _

With a smirk, Noctis quickly typed back a response and sent it, wondering if he could have enough time to shower and get dressed before they showed up.

_ [10:04 - Thanks, Gladio, I’m awake now. See you soon.] _

_ [10:04 - Oh, right, and good morning to you too, guys. I’m gonna shower now so don’t kill me if I don’t text back, alright? I learned my lesson about texting in the shower.] _

And the response came back a few moments later, which made Noctis laugh:

_ [10:05 - Good :) see ya, Noct.] _

His shower was a quick one, and he felt much more awake after drying off and changing into some casual clothes - just one of his old t-shirts and a pair of sweatpants, which he was sure Ardyn would complain about, for not wearing something more presentable to meet his friends. The most important thing was, they wouldn’t care, and they were really there for a reason  _ other _ than just keeping him company. Although, it was true, he was starting to miss them more than he thought, because the sound of an approaching car as Noctis made his way down the stairs just made him excited. He went to open the door as Gladio and Ignis’s car pulled in and parked toward the front door (as close as they could, in the rain), but right as he reached for the handle, Ardyn placed his hand on it instead and Noctis had to close his mouth to fight back a strong swear at his sudden appearance.

“Didn’t… didn’t see you there,” Noctis gasped out, pressing a hand to his chest as if it would calm his racing heart. “Just got a little excited for my friends, I guess…”

Ardyn smiled, shrugging. “It’s perfectly alright. I do hope they can bring everything inside in one trip, the weather is just  _ dreadful _ today. Why don’t you go help them with their things?”

When Ardyn pushed the door open, Ignis was already standing beneath the portico, and absolutely soaked as he adjusted his travel bag over his shoulder and shook off his umbrella with the other. Gladio was two steps behind him, with a far heavier-looking bag in his hands. Ardyn opened the door wider to gesture for them to come inside, and Ignis politely set his bag down on the floor by the door before extending his hand to Ardyn, who took it and gave him a firm, although quick, handshake.

“Ignis… Scientia, yes?”

“Yes, that’s correct. This is Gladiolus Amicitia. Noctis’s Tactician and his Shield - officially.” Ignis’s eyebrows raised when Ardyn called him by name before even introducing himself. He stepped closer to offer Gladio the same quick handshake, as if only doing so out of courtesy rather than interest. Ardyn’s words were rushed, although he maintained politeness as he spoke.

“My name is Ardyn Izunia, and this is my humble manor. Do enjoy your stay - you’re welcome to any of the rooms upstairs, although I’m sure you’ll want to stay adjacent to my dear nephew; he told me how frightfully lonely he’s been. Noctis, would you be so kind as to show them to their new rooms? I… I have something rather urgent to attend to so, regrettably, I must take my leave now.”

A dark expression crossed his face, but vanished when Ignis flashed him one of his signature, analytical gazes. To that, he flashed a rather convincing smile and a wave before pacing off in a direction Noctis realized was toward the basement door - and disappeared without another word, leaving the three of them alone in the empty, open room.

“He’s… uh… friendly,” Gladio muttered, wiping a hand through his hair and scattering several droplets of water on the floor. “Wait… where’d our bags go?”

“Ugh,” Noctis groaned, putting a hand to his head. “It’s… it’s my uncle. He just… pulls magic tricks - or, uh, something like that - with your stuff. He did the same thing to me when I first got here. It’s probably upstairs. C’mon, let’s go make sure.”

While Noctis pulled them both toward the stairs, he muttered, “There’s a lot of…  _ weird… _ stuff going on out here. I’ll explain more once we get upstairs. It’s really complicated, and most of it doesn’t even make sense.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Ignis whispered back, and Gladio nodded in agreement. “I’m quite intrigued.”

Sure enough, at the top of the stairs and down the hall, both Gladio’s and Ignis’s bags were sitting in a neat pile in front of the door across from Noctis’s room. Ignis huffed skeptically as he kneeled to unzip his bag although seemed satisfied after a thorough examination, that nothing had gone missing. Gladio, too, said that everything was still there in his own bag. It was literally just somehow teleported up there, inexplicably, the moment they’d turned their attention to Ardyn when he introduced himself.

This was just scratching the surface of the stranger happenings, but at least now, Ignis and Gladio might be more likely to believe Noctis when he’d have to struggle through explaining the whole reason for bringing them out so far away from Insomnia so suddenly.

They moved their bags into the room across from Noctis’s, a room with the door labeled XIV, with a brass knocker shaped like an upside-down, leafless tree stretching out beneath the letters on the wood.

Ignis sat down on the edge of the bed, and Gladio turned the chair at the desk around to brace his arms against the back of it as he sat down, resting his chin on top of his arms. The two turned to Noctis almost in sync, and they glanced at each other before Ignis asked, “How exactly can we help you, with all these odd things happening?”

Noctis leaned against the wall with a heavy sigh, and slid down until he was sitting on the floor. For a moment, he put his head in his hands, hoping it would get the gears in his brain turning enough to provide a sufficient explanation, one that made even the slightest bit of sense.

“It’s really… alright, you’re probably not going to believe me, but… here’s what’s going on. Just… bear with me on this, I know it sounds crazy.”

Noctis explained everything, from the moment he first arrived (when his own luggage “mysteriously vanished” without his moving it), to meeting Verstael, to the strange and powerful storms, and finally, he ended with the dreams he’d been having - the dreams of the ocean, of water, and of Prompto’s voice.

Taking a deep breath, for the first time since starting his explanation, Noctis let it out in a long sigh and winced as he finished his tale.

“Dr. Besithia has a… mercreature captive in the basement. Not… well, he’s not really a ‘merman,’ exactly, he’s… he’s not half-fish, he’s half-octopus. His name is Prompto, and even though his top half looks human, he’s got tentacles, and gills, and he’s… he’s been through way too much, out here. I’ve read Dr. Besithia’s journals about what he’s done to him, and he’s… it’s not pretty.”

By now, Noctis had stood and was pacing around the room while he just let everything out. They hadn’t stopped his explanations, so they were at least ready to believe him up to this point. “The reason we’ve had all these storms come in? I think it’s because Verstael - Dr. Besithia, I mean - must have made Leviathan angry when he kidnapped Prompto from the ocean and stuck him in that tank. I think… he was trying to go after Her, originally. I found a book in his lab while I was sneaking around all about how to hunt Her down and… that’s pretty terrifying, right? To even  _ think  _ about attempting to capture an Astral like that, on top of the fact that I didn’t know the Astrals  _ actually _ existed past our old myths. I guess Prompto… was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but it seemed good enough for Verstael’s… research.”

Ignis and Gladio both listened patiently, with Gladio interjecting every now and then with a nod and a thoughtful noise, and Ignis tapping a finger against his chin as he, too, seemed lost in thought.

“That  _ is _ fascinating… I’m supposing your reason for having us stay here is to help you free him, to get him back to the ocean?” Ignis asked, and he lowered his voice as he continued, “We’ll have to be careful. This will require an extreme amount of precision, and teamwork, and… well, and luck. But I believe I can formulate a plan with a high chance of success, if you give me tonight to discuss it with Gladiolus. He’ll be the one to be primarily moving Prompto since I’m sure your tentacled friend is quite heavy, if he’s the size and weight of both a human and a fully-grown octopus combined.”

“Don’t worry, Noct, I’m up to the challenge,” Gladio chimed in, making a point to flex both arms. “As long as he doesn’t bite me, I’m pretty sure I can carry him as far as I gotta.”

“See, that’s the thing,” Noctis rushed, frowning, “Prompto can’t stay out of the water, or he’ll suffocate. I guess it’s because - if he’s got human lungs - they can’t hold too much air in them, so he needs to at least be underwater up to his gills to be able to breathe. I don’t want to scare him if we just take him out of the tank without having a plan.”

“Good point,” Gladio muttered, scratching the back of his head as he shrugged off his former idea. “Think this science guy Verstael’s got some kind of transport box we can, uh, ‘borrow?’ ‘Cause I’m pretty sure there’s no way even with your uncle helping, this guy got him in that tank by himself. Ardyn doesn’t look like he’s that strong.”

Noctis stopped pacing. “You’re right, they probably would have something. I think I remember reading about it in his notes. He had to keep switching Prompto into bigger tanks because he was inking out of stress. And he had to get him out of the ocean, somehow. He’s gotta have one. If I can get back down in the basement tonight, I can look for one. You guys are gonna need my map. I can get it from my room for you - Ardyn gave it to me when I first got here. It’s got the whole layout of the manor in it, and some facts and stuff about the area. You might find that more useful in planning at least,” Noctis added, turning to Ignis, who nodded.

“Indeed. Let’s regroup tonight, and again tomorrow morning. If all goes well, I should be able to give us solid directions by this evening, and we can run through the plan as needed until you’re ready for us to take advantage of the most opportune time. You’ve been here the longest, therefore you’re the most aware of everyone’s schedules here.”

“The safest time we’d have a chance at is dinner time. If…” Noctis trailed off. He put a hand on his hips. Maybe they could add one more person to their team… someone Ardyn wouldn’t expect to be involved in a plot to keep him distracted. “Dinner is perfect. Ardyn’s chef, Coctura, can help us out. I talked to her for a while the other day. I might have to stretch the truth a little but if we do decide to ask her for help and I word everything right, I can probably get her to keep Ardyn distracted in the kitchen. Verstael… he comes and goes at his own pace, he’s hard to keep track of. Dinner is something he rarely misses, though, when he  _ is _ here. So I could have Coctura keep Ardyn distracted in the kitchen, which, if we’re lucky, Verstael might be dragged down to the kitchen with him, because Ardyn is just… oddly attached to him for some strange reason. Don’t know what he sees in that guy, he’s all sorts of bad vibes.”

Ignis only had a few questions, surprisingly, none of them were about whether or not Noctis was serious. He always had this gift for being able to tell when Noctis was lying - so there was no need for Ignis to ask whether or not he was telling the truth. Gladio, in turn, could tell that, as strange as this whole situation was playing out to be, Noctis was speaking genuinely. Most of Ignis’s questions had to do with the layout of the manor, the best ways to avoid potential snags in their plan, and whether or not they should be wary of anything else around the manor.

“There is one thing. You saw how Ardyn just kind of  _ moved _ your stuff, right? I swear he can do that, but with  _ himself. _ I’d be talking to him one minute, and the next, he’s gone. Or he’ll just… appear. Who knows… maybe Prompto isn’t the only one that Dr. Besithia’s used for research. It’s… really hard to tell.”

“Noct,” Ignis said, “we’ll do everything we can to help you, and Prompto. If you can manage tonight, I’d like you to go down into the basement and take some pictures of it with your phone. I would prefer to go there in person myself, but three people trying to sneak around after sundown is certainly more suspicious than just one person wandering the halls. Plus, you know your way around, and I trust your skills in sneaking around - it always came in handy whenever you wanted to go fishing even though you were grounded.”

“Hey, that… that was a long time ago,” Noctis blurted, and Gladio laughed. “Forgetting that! I’ll get some pictures for you tonight. I’m no photographer but I’ll do my best.”

“As long as everything I need to see is visible, it will have to suffice until we have the chance to go there ourselves.”

“Right.”

Silence fell over the room, as the three exchanged looks with each other. All the pieces of this complicated puzzle were starting to come together, but there was still some part of Noctis that feared everything going downhill before he could stop it.

“I’ll leave you guys to unpack. You both look really tired. If we’re gonna be ‘looking around’ later, you should rest up now so you don’t fall asleep in the middle of our plan.”

Ignis had tried not to let the exhaustion show on his face, but in that moment, it just seemed to shine through his expression as if it had been summoned by Noctis’s words.

“Rest sounds lovely, that is true… Gladiolus? Join me?”

“Absolutely. Better set an alarm in case I pass out on ya,” Gladio said, standing up from his chair and walking over to sit next to Ignis on the bed. He wrapped an arm around Ignis’s shoulder and the Tactician seemed to relax into the touch, just slightly.

Noctis smiled, although it was mostly in nervousness. “Ardyn will likely call us all down for dinner in a few hours, so you’ve got some time. I’m gonna… I’m gonna go back to my room and try to calm down. I can’t do this if I’m freaking out… we’re… we’re really gonna do this, right?”

“Yeah.” “Yes.”

They both spoke at the same time, but the warmth and honesty in their voices managed to make Noctis feel slightly better about his decision to ask them for help.

“Alright. Get some rest, guys. And… be careful. Watch out for my uncle and his ‘surprise visits’ - I don’t know if he’ll do it to you guys, but… just…”

Gladio grinned and shooed Noctis toward the door with a playful wave of his hand as he nuzzled his head against Ignis’s, who seemed too sleepy to protest his embarrassment at the gesture. He was never one for public displays of affection, but with how exhausted he looked, Noctis couldn’t blame his lack of reaction. “Don’t worry, Noct, I’m a Shield for a reason! I’ll keep you both safe.”

“Yeah, yeah, I hear ya, I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone now.”

Noctis returned Gladio’s playful expression and slipped out of the room, feeling a little more anxious than before, but relieved nonetheless to know that Ignis and Gladio believed him enough to entertain helping him. His next challenge was to get into the basement and take pictures for Ignis, and, while he was down there, he’d take a picture of Prompto -  _ of  _ him, or  _ with _ him? - to prove more insistently he wasn’t imagining things. Whether it was more as proof to them, or proof to himself, he couldn’t say.


	15. Chapter 15

The next few hours were spent in his room, sitting at the desk and staring at the booklet that Ardyn had given him. He was looking at the words on the pages, but they weren’t actually registering in his brain - his thoughts just kept returning to Prompto. Noctis had to remind himself not to rush, no matter how badly he wanted to, because every aspect of their plan was likely going to boil down to perfect timing… and luck.

There was a surprising commotion downstairs, enough to break Noctis’s focus. Too curious to ignore it, the Prince poked his head out the door just slightly, hoping to listen in on whatever was happening below.

He caught the muffled sounds of Ardyn’s voice trailing back and forth, as if he were quickly pacing while he spoke.

_ “I told you, I haven’t touched any of your things. I only go down there with you, I remember very clearly that you told me not to enter that space without you.” _

Verstael’s voice filtered in, and his anger was easily audible.  _ “Izunia, there’s no need to lie to me, so just stop. You’re the only other person with a key to the facility downstairs.” _

_ “Yes,” _ Ardyn interjected,  _ “that is true. If you’re trying to pin the blame on my nephew, you already know that I’ve told him to stay away. He’s young, it’s true, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t understand rules when confronted with them. If you want to blame someone, you might as well blame me.” _

Why was Ardyn taking the blame for him? Did he know that Noctis was sneaking around? Or was he just trying to say what Verstael probably wanted to hear in an attempt to appease him to calm down?

_ “If anything is out of place, I’ll be charging you with the damages.” _

_ “Your priceless research? I couldn’t afford that in a thousand lifetimes.” _

_ “It’s a good thing you’ve got that much time to pay off any debts, then, isn’t it?” _

Ardyn had been about to say something, raised his voice, but stopped.  _ “…Yes, I… I suppose that’s true. I still stand by my promise to not enter the facility unless it’s at your request, you know. You don’t need to shout. I might be old, but I’m immortal, not decrepit. My ears still work just fine.” _

_ “…I’ll be going out, I have errands to run. Don’t come with me this time.” _

_ “Verstael, listen to me - ” _

Noctis kept listening as, without another word, the sound of footsteps angrily making their way down the hall echoed loudly to the second floor. Just then, his phone buzzed in his pocket. It was a text from Ignis.

_ [2:05 - did you hear that?] _

He quickly texted back.

_ [2:05 - yeah, I did. Looks like I’ll have a good shot at getting into the basement tonight, I just gotta time it right.] _

Ignis sent his reply a few moments later.

_ [2:06 - good luck. We believe in you, Noct.] _

As quietly as he could, Noctis put his phone into his pocket and closed the door. With his back to it, he slid down against the floor and braced his elbows against his knees, trying to fully understand what he’d just heard.

Was Ardyn… one of Verstael’s experiments, too? He seemed so casual about something with such serious implications - human experimentation? Immortality? There was, of course, the possibility that Ardyn was joking - but with the way Verstael was talking to him, it was difficult to imagine.

That  _ would _ also explain Ardyn’s abilities, his tendency to vanish and appear at random… Noctis’s head felt like it was spinning just from the realization that all of these things were  _ real _ and  _ really _ happening, this wasn’t something out of a book, and he wasn’t dreaming (although he did pinch himself to check).

It brought him nausea, terror, and excitement all in one confusing, overwhelming rush. Things went from normal, to weird, to  _ really _ weird, to something that suddenly made sense. Like all the pieces of a jumbled puzzle were slowly connecting with each other. Prompto wasn’t safe here, not for much longer. That was the biggest piece, the one that Noctis held closest to his heart. To keep it safe.

There was no way he could ever go back to Insomnia thinking of the world the same way, after this. His heart ached, knowing that it would be impossible to even think that Prompto could come with him - what would he do, keep him in a giant fish tank just like the one he was in now? It would be wrong to free him, only to stick him somewhere else he didn’t belong. The thought was selfish, and Noctis shook his head to clear it. No, what he needed to do right now, was focus on making sure he did everything he could to keep Prompto safe.

Prompto.

_ Prompto. _

The boy that changed his entire summer. The boy he just couldn’t get out of his head. The boy… that he was falling in love with. Call it crazy, call it destiny… but Noctis knew, as the sounds of building rain began to filter in, a steady hum through the walls, that he was drawn to Prompto for a reason. But even as hard as he thought, he had no explanations, no possible responses to the questions he knew were brewing in his mind, the questions he’d surely be asked if he tried to talk to Ignis or Gladio about it.

By the time Ardyn called them all down to dinner, the rain picked up into a thunderstorm. Noctis pulled on one of his jackets, and Ignis and Gladio joined him so the three of them could walk down into the dining hall together. Ardyn was in his usual seat at the head of the table, but Verstael was nowhere to be seen tonight - just as he’d said earlier. Noctis prayed to himself that Verstael would stay out long enough for him to make a quick visit to the basement. It didn’t hurt to be too careful…

“Lovely weather,” Ardyn sighed half-heartedly, raising the wine glass in his hand to the three as they entered. “It looks like it will be just us four dining together tonight. That’s alright.”

There was a glimmer of almost-sadness in his uncle’s eyes, and Noctis offered him an awkward smile as he sat down in his usual seat. Ignis and Gladio sat across from each other, with Ignis in the chair next to Noctis. He certainly wasn’t giving off his usual air of strangeness… now, he just looked exhausted, wilting in his chair, even as he gestured out to the food and hummed, “Let’s eat, shall we?”

“Thank you for the meal,” Ignis spoke up, trying to brighten the mood. “Everything looks absolutely delicious.”

Gladio, too, chimed in, “Yeah, you really can’t get anything like this back at home. Nothing beats fresh seafood!”

Noctis added, “Yeah, Coctura’s a  _ great _ chef. I talked to her a while ago. She’s apparently the niece of the super-legendary fisherman Navyth! That’s so  _ awesome… _ ”

The three all tried to keep Ardyn occupied with random bits of conversation. Even though he still seemed distant as he glanced out the window each time a bolt of lightning flashed across the dark sky, he managed to smile and nod and seem interested in what was being discussed. When the conversation lulled after they stopped eating, it was Ignis’s turn to attempt a distraction.

“Sir Izunia, I’ve been staring at these plates all evening, and I vaguely recognize the pattern. These are vintage, are they not? How are they in such pristine condition?”

Ardyn smiled, and raised his head somewhat. “Ah! These, I purchased from a collector. They were gathering dust in a box, the horror! He had no idea how valuable these plates were, so lucky me, I got the whole set and had to pay much less than I’d been expecting. I walked away that night with the plates  _ and _ a wonderful collection of fairy tales that was inked entirely by hand! A lost craft, such a shame…”

Gladio and Noctis exchanged glances, and taking Ignis’s cue, Gladio jumped into the conversation, keeping Ardyn sufficiently lost in his own memories - when Noctis slipped away from the table and made his way out of the dining hall, Ardyn was still speaking, and Noctis could hear bits and pieces of what he was talking about as the door closed behind him quietly. Something about how the rain reminded him of one of the fairy tales in his book…

With renewed determination, Noctis stepped quickly down the hall and immediately went up to the basement door. At first, it stuck like it was locked, but with a little extra effort, he pushed the door open and reminded himself to go slowly down the stairs so he wouldn’t accidentally trip in his rush and hurt himself.  _ For Prompto. I have to be careful. I can’t mess this up,  _ Noctis thought, as he walked out into the lab and grabbed his phone out of his pocket to snap as many pictures as he could. He took pictures of everything he could get an angle of - the bookshelves, the doorways, the computers, the strange display cases, and a pile of papers on the floor with unrecognizable scientific graphs and charts and scrawled handwriting. The more proof and pictures he had, the better, even if whatever the proof  _ actually _ was didn’t make sense to him.

By the time he made his way back to Prompto’s tank, he was alarmed at first to not see Prompto swimming around. It took him a good few seconds of panicked searching to find him, barely visible except for the tip of a tentacle poking out from a hole in the large rock hideaway toward the back of the tank floor. Gently, Noctis raised his hand and tapped on the glass. Fish scattered as he tapped again, a little bit harder this time, until the tentacle withdrew from the opening and Prompto poked his head out, still wearing that expression of drowsy, weary sadness.

_ “Noct,” _ he said, trailing bubbles behind him as he slipped out of the rock and slowly inched his way across the floor of the tank. He hadn’t been looking well the other day, but now, his skin seemed even paler in the low light from the tank, and even his tentacles in their faded coloring seemed a lot less energetic, less lively, less  _ alive _ than before. Getting a closer look at Prompto’s face, he realized that some of the scales around his ears were peeling and flaking, looking more like scabs than scales. This had to be Verstael’s doing.  _ “Noct… help?” _

“Yeah. I’m gonna help you, but first I gotta take some pictures, okay? It’s for my friends. So they can help me get you out of here. We’ll get you out. You’ll be free soon, I promise.”

Prompto pressed his hand to the glass, against Noctis’s own, and offered a sad, sleepy smile. It was then that Noctis noticed something strange on his wrist - waterproof bandaging wrapped right over where the barcode was supposed to be.

“Are you hurt?” Noctis asked, pushing himself closer to the glass, like if he pushed hard enough,  _ wished _ hard enough, he could slip through the wall and cradle Prompto in his arms. “Did Verstael hurt you again?”

A long moment passed as Prompto stared at Noctis, blinked slowly, looked at the bandages on his wrist and then back to where their hands almost touched.

_ “Doesn’t hurt,” _ Prompto muttered, but Noctis could tell he was lying.  _ “Fine. Am fine.” _

No matter how badly he wanted to say something, Noctis just closed his mouth and slowly moved away from the glass, leaving just the faintest smudge of his handprint behind. Prompto seemed transfixed by this, and rubbed his head against the print before flaring his gills in silent, but understandable, frustration.

The only answer he could think of to search for was in Verstael’s journal, which was still laid out on top of his desk, despite having a few stray papers and diagrams covering the newest entry. Prompto watched as Noctis stepped over to the book and began to read the entry marked for that day.

~~~~

**_VI Month, III Day_ **

_ 1:08 am: transmitter records spike in the Subject’s heart rate. _

_ 1:10 am: Subject exhibiting physical symptoms of a panic attack. _

_ 1:12 am: sedative administered. _

_ Subject succumbed after a single, panicked utterance: _

_ “Noctis” _

_ Izunia’s involvement is now undeniable. While now is absolutely not the ideal time, I will seek Izunia out and address the situation before it worsens any further. I had been promised that his nephew was forbidden entrance to my facility and threatened with undefined consequences if he were to break the singular most important rule during his stay at the Manor. I am furious to the point far beyond words that are fit to pen alongside my research so regrettably they will be left unwritten. _

_ Additional general observations: the situation has only somewhat improved from the prior days. I have spoken with Izunia and he now is aware of and understands the causes of my frustration with him. (Which he seemed to be playfully ignorant of, before I brought it directly to his attention. Interesting observation.) He has assured me repeatedly that to his knowledge his nephew has not been exposed to my research; however I have a feeling that statement is not entirely truthful. I will relocate cameras from the facility storage rooms in the meantime to assess the truth of said statement myself. _

_ As for the Subject… another dose of sedative was administered to keep him calm. He has refused to eat as of late, even when I have left the room and kept an eye on the cameras. The live fish just swim about the tank without a care for his unconscious form. _

_ I have set aside vials of an experimental formula containing most of the usual nutrients that mirror his diet; the formula will be administered intravenously if the Subject continuously refuses to eat, or remains incapacitated. An emotional affliction such as “depression” will not get in the way of my research, or cost me my Subject. He is too valuable to my studies to be so careless with. _

_ Note: purchase three new camera mounts to be delivered and set up by the end of tomorrow. _

_ 5:42 pm: Subject remains unconscious. Unresponsive, but still breathing. I wonder if it is the sedative, or his own dejection, that keeps him from waking. Transmitter is still recording a steady pulse. He now lays on his back on the bottom of the tank, and aside from the occasional twitching of the tentacles has not moved from that spot. I can see the flicker of his gills, the shudder in his pale chest with each inhalation. I have also observed a concerning symptom of scratches and damages to skin such as shedding scales… I have increased the water temperature slightly. _

~~~~

Prompto was so depressed in Verstael’s captivity that it was literally killing him. It made Noctis feel absolutely sick as he looked up from the book and somehow resisted the urge to rip out the pages, tear them into a million pieces, and scream.

_ “Noctis… angry?” _

When Prompto spoke up, Noctis looked at him and the anger in his eyes immediately softened when he realized just how terrified Prompto was seeing his friend that upset. The look in his eyes seemed to ask,  _ is it my fault? _ His tentacles curled protectively around him, and he rubbed his hands along the scales at his arms repeatedly in what must have been some kind of self-soothing gesture as his gills shuddered anxiously in time with his movements.

“No, Prompto, I’m sorry… I’m not angry. Not at you. I’m just… scared.”

_ “Prompto, too.” _

“I… I know. You don’t deserve this.”

_ “Prompto… should listen. For no hurting - no more hurt. Keep Noctis safe.” _

Noctis sat down at the floor in front of the tank and pulled out his phone, hoping for a distraction in what he was about to do. Anything to help cheer Prompto up, at this point, would be worth risking getting caught, the longer he stayed… 

When he opened the camera app, Prompto tilted his head as Noctis reversed the camera and held it up so that Prompto could see himself. He slowly peeled his hands away from his arms, touched the glass, and wriggled his fingers, watching with surprise and fascination as his mirror image did the same. He touched his fingers to his face, and frowned.

_ “Is… is Prompto?” _

“Yeah, that’s you! And there’s me,” Noctis explained, while pointing at the screen to each of them. “This is a camera. It’s on my phone, but - anyway. You can use it to take pictures, to help remember things that are important to you. Things you find beautiful. Because it’s so small, you can take the pictures with you wherever you go. You know, actually… there are underwater cameras too! I could get you one someday. I could teach you how to take pictures, so you could show me your ocean home once we get you out of this tank.”

_ “Ooh.” _ A pause, and Prompto tilted his head again. He seemed to be concentrating as much as his tired body would allow, before he opened his mouth again.  _ “Noctis thinks Prompto is… important? And… beautiful?” _

This caught Noctis off guard, and he lowered the phone into his lap. He turned back to look at Prompto and saw, through the glass, that even though Prompto still fought off the daze of the sedatives, he still wore a look of serious thought on his face.

“…Yeah. Prompto, I… listen, I… I need to tell you something. I really…”

_ I can’t. I can’t do that to him. Not now. It’s… too much, too soon. _

The thought interrupted his next words, and Noctis closed his mouth. It really was far too soon to be thinking something that… strong. Wasn’t it…? But no matter how he tried to work himself through it, every possible other conclusion he could have come to was just not right. Yes, he pitied Prompto… but his feelings were more than that. He wanted to save Prompto, but it wasn’t to be a hero. If he tried to express his feelings now, it might make Prompto more upset.

_ “Noctis?” _

“…I mean, um… I really gotta take these pictures for Gladio and Ignis, before Verstael comes back. Okay?”

_ “Oh. Is… is okay.” _

Prompto smiled sadly, although it looked like he was trying to make it as genuine a smile as he could manage in his state.

“Alright. Let’s take a selfie - a picture together - really quick first, okay? Then I’ll get a few more pictures, and then we can work on getting you out of here. Ignis said he needed to know a little more about where you’re kept so we can free you safely.”

_ “Mm… okay.” _

Noctis slowly counted down from three, holding up the phone sideways to take a picture of himself with Prompto. His tentacles curled out lazily behind him as he floated, and with the angle Noctis held his phone, most of Prompto’s body was in view within the picture. He wasn’t smiling, and Noctis wasn’t either.

“Usually people smile when they take selfies, we both look so sad,” Noctis said softly, turning to Prompto to show him their picture together, “but I know you’re really unhappy here. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked you to do this…”

_ “No!” _

When Prompto raised his voice, it sent a flurry of bubbles against the glass, and Noctis flinched away.

_ “Sorry, sorry… no… no, Prompto is sorry… don’t… don’t be scared…!” _

“I’m not scared, it’s okay,” Noctis said, even as Prompto disappeared behind his tentacles and curled up into a shuddering ball on the floor of the tank.

_ “Sorry… sorry, sorry…” _

Something had to be done  _ now _ . Every minute more he spent inside that tank was just another minute of drained energy, of fear, and sadness.

“It’s okay, I promise.”

After Noctis spoke again, Prompto poked his head through his protective tentacle-covering and asked, weakly,  _ “Not mad?” _

“No! I’m not mad at all. I’m not gonna hurt you,” Noctis said, and Prompto slowly uncurled his body to relax against the tank floor. Even in the low, bluish light from the tank, it just made the growing dark circles under his eyes seem to stand out that much more.

_ “Good… good… Prompto… Prompto sleeps now. Is tired…” _

With a worried smile, Noctis stood and said, “Alright. Goodnight, Prompto… get some good sleep, okay? I’ll let you know our final plan as soon as I can get back down here again. Hopefully tomorrow.”

But there was no response from Prompto, as his eyelids had slowly drifted closed while Noctis had been talking. Noctis waited, for a few long moments, watching as Prompto’s chest slowly rose and fell with the rhythm of his breathing, and his gills moved in time with his sleepy breaths.

_ Just a little more time, that’s all I need… just a little bit more… please, stay strong for me. _


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  ****Content warning!**** This chapter contains graphic descriptions of injuries/medical procedures/blood/etc!

When Noctis left the basement, there were no signs of Ardyn or Verstael anywhere nearby. After dropping a quick text to Ignis, who asked him in return to meet in their room, he carefully and quietly went up the stairs, trying not to think about what had happened in the basement while he walked.

Ignis’s expression was serious, as Noctis walked into the room and started pacing again.

“You have the pictures, yes?”

“Yeah. I got as many as I could. Here… here, just… I need to sit down.” Noctis did his best not to throw his phone at Ignis in his frustration before sitting down in the chair beside the bed, putting his head in his hands. Gladio stepped over from where he’d been sitting on the opposite side of the bed and rested a hand on Noctis’s shoulder.

“Hey… we’ll help you. And your friend. Don’t worry, okay?”

But worrying was really all Noctis felt he was capable of doing, and he kept his head in his hands and listened to Ignis’s occasional noises of intrigue as he scrolled through the pictures. He really felt like he was about to cry, but fought it back. It helped to have Gladio’s steady hand on his shoulder, giving a squeeze every now and then when Noctis started trembling in the chair.

“So this is Prompto,” Ignis said suddenly, but casually, as if he’d just been introduced to one of Noctis’s classmates. “I’m no marine biologist but, poor thing, he really doesn’t look well at all. I see why you’re so impatient to free him.”

“Yeah,” Noctis muttered, looking up to see both Gladio and Ignis staring down at his phone screen. “He won’t make it another week here. Verstael’s really making him miserable. The sooner we can get him back to the ocean, the better. Especially because it’s been making Leviathan really, really angry. If we can get him back home, all the random and crazy storming should stop.”

“Ah… I see.” Ignis sat back and put the phone down on the bed, reaching into his pocket to pull out a small black notebook and pen. He began to write something down before he closed his eyes, paused his writing, and tapped the pen against the page. “I think… I think I have an idea, but it requires a boat. I’m assuming you have access to one?”

“Yeah. I do. What’s the plan?”

“We’ll make our way into the laboratory, with all three of us if we can. If we’re not alone - I’ll buy you time by distracting Sir Izunia and-or Dr. Besithia if they’re getting suspicious. Gladiolus, you will be in charge of the transfer. Given Prompto’s apparent size, he’ll likely be very heavy. You will have to be very careful and quick, since according to Noct, he can’t breathe outside of water. Noctis, your job will be to locate a transfer tank; knowing this scientist he very likely has one within reach. Once you locate it, Gladiolus will maneuver Prompto into the transfer tank and you’ll make your way out to the boat, signaling me via text once you’re on your way. If I haven’t freed myself by then I’ll make a quick escape and be on my way to the boat to meet you. We’ll sail out as far as we can, and let Prompto free into the water far enough away from the shore that Dr. Besithia shouldn’t be able to find him in the inevitability he’ll start searching.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Noctis said. He couldn’t help the shaking in his shoulders, the uncomfortable spinning in his gut as he realized they were so close,  _ so close, _ to giving Prompto the freedom he deserved. He was nervous, and scared and… sad. He wanted to stay with Prompto just a little bit longer… but Prompto didn’t belong here. He belonged in the ocean. He knew that.

“Alright. We can do this,” Gladio added, and offered the two a reassuring smile. “We’ve pulled off more complicated stunts before, haven’t we, Noct?”

Noctis snapped out of his thoughts to flash a smile back at Gladio. “Yeah… yeah, I guess we have.”

“It’s settled, then. We’ll execute the plan tomorrow afternoon, or on Noctis’s signal. Whichever comes first, given that he knows both Sir Izunia and Dr. Besithia’s routines fairly well by now. Just prepare yourselves, and sleep well tonight. We’ll need to be as sharp as we can, to ensure Prompto’s safety and that the plan goes as smoothly as possible.”

“Sounds good.” “Gotcha.”

Gladio and Noctis both nodded, and Noctis stood, stepping out of the room after saying goodnight, his body feeling like it was on autopilot as he walked across the hall and into his bedroom. He was still shaking, so badly that he could hardly stand without bracing against the wall, or the bed, or anything within his reach.  _ I need to calm down. _

Having a nice, hot shower only helped ease his anxious mind slightly, and he laid down in his bed, not caring that his damp hair was wetting the pillow beneath his head. There was rain still pouring outside, and even though it was usually a relaxing sound, it just made Noctis uneasy as he curled up beneath the blankets and closed his eyes, hoping with every bit of energy he had left that tomorrow’s plans would go smoothly, and that nothing would go wrong. Everything had to go perfectly. Noctis couldn’t let Prompto down any more.

~~~~

A distant, humming sound pulled Noctis out of his half-coherent dream. He rubbed his eyes as he rolled, half-awake, out of the bed and poked his head out into the hallway. As he opened the door, someone standing outside of it pulled the door the rest of the way open and quickly stepped inside. And then closed the door behind them before Noctis could complain.

When Noctis rubbed his eyes again, he blinked and saw Ardyn standing in front of him, looking equally as tired and disheveled in an unbuttoned dress shirt and loose-fitting long pants. He looked down at his nephew and said, “Go back to sleep, dear Noctis, I’m sorry that all this noise woke you… with all this rain and thunder, it must have knocked one of Verstael’s ridiculous contraptions off of his table and set it off… just pay no attention. Get back to bed, alright?”

Still confused, Noctis blinked and put a hand to his head. The strange beeping echoed in his mind, rang in his ears, even though it shouldn’t have been loud enough to be that disturbing.

“Bed, bedtime, Noctis,” Ardyn urged, and Noctis couldn’t protest as his uncle pulled him back toward his bed and tucked him in - a bit tightly - beneath the blankets. “Please, sleep.”

It must have been some kind of dream, because the moment Noctis closed his eyes again… he opened them to find sunlight streaming in through the window. At least it was no longer raining. And he felt… mostly rested. His phone told him that it was just after ten a.m. and -  _ today’s the day. _

Immediately, feeling much more awake, Noctis threw the sheets off of himself and rolled out of bed, changed quickly into new clothes, and combed his hair into place with his fingers. He was too excited to spare a second to text Ignis and Gladio as he made an immediate escape down the hall. Ardyn was nowhere to be seen, as Noctis quickly searched every area of the manor he usually spent his time in. The door was half-open to the library, and Noctis thought he heard a voice… but he was both surprised and pleased to see that Ardyn wasn’t in there either. Instead, he found Verstael crumpled over in Ardyn’s chair and looking absolutely exhausted, sleeping soundly in what surely had to be an uncomfortably slouched position.

_ Now’s my chance. Now’s my chance! _

His heart pounded in his ears as he stepped quickly away from the library door and nearly jumped down the stairs in his rush to get to the basement. Everything went by in a big, confusing blur, until he found himself rushing into the basement’s laboratory and -

_ There’s broken glass on the floor. The tank… the tank is empty. _

Not just empty, but completely broken. The floor was wet. The thick glass wall was shattered, splintered into several thousand shards and scattered across the floor, the desk.  _ Oh, no. _

Panic surged through Noctis as he began to search for Prompto, slipping on the still-wet floor. He wasn’t anywhere to be seen in the main room, or any of the side storage rooms, at first glance. No matter where he looked he was so anxious he went over everything twice but still, there were no signs of Prompto except for the pools of blue, black, and red mingling on the floor with the tankwater and bits of broken glass.

His only other possible chance was to check Verstael’s journal. Something happened, and as much as Noctis knew he would hate finding out what it was, he knew he had to. There was a single picture resting atop the journal; a picture of Prompto on the floor in front of the broken tank. Covered in blood, cuts, and bruises, and wearing a dangerous,  _ deadly _ glare on his face as he stared up at the camera. Noctis carefully picked up the photo, turned it over, and placed it to the side. He couldn’t see Prompto like that. It hurt too much.

On the journal’s latest page, the writing was half-legible, and Noctis held his breath as he read every word slowly, praying that Prompto was still in the manor, still  _ alive, _ as he read.

~~~~

**_VI Month, VI Day_ **

_ 3:49 am: Emergency alert - A Rank - issued from the transmitter. The sound woke me immediately, but I found myself fearing the worst as I made first use of the emergency lift to enter the facility as quickly as I could. I found the tank had been somehow shattered; Subject collapsed on the floor, surrounded by broken glass and struggling to get a grip on the concrete with his suction pads. I feared a break-in, but upon closer inspection it appeared that the Subject had been chipping away at a piece of rock in one of the camera’s blind spots enough to free it, and must have used it to smash the glass. I found him clutching to it and refusing to let go, even while choking at the lack of water. While I am furious about the damage to both the Subject and the tank, I am thankful that he is still here, and still alive. I am also intrigued by his developing craftiness… to be noted later. I barely had time to write this entry but quick notation was necessary. _

_ 5:02 am: transfer of the subject to the analysis tank successful. Subject is relatively stable under anesthesia. Minor surgery necessary to extract glass fragments from the wounds on his tentacles, and a particularly tricky shard embedded between his second and third gill-flaps on the left side. No visible damage to the filaments observed. _

_ A transfusion may be necessary, as his skin has lost most of its color once again. I may have to create a synthetic blood substitute myself, since it is possible that concentrated hemocyanin directly from a naturally-occurring cephalopod may cause damage to his body rather than healing. I will monitor the Subject’s unconscious state until I am confident of his recovery. _

_ 5:20 am: I find myself speaking to the Subject even if he cannot respond. I am unable to leave his side at the current moment, nor have I made plans to, until I am more certain of his condition. My conversing with his unconscious form seems to have a positive effect on stabilizing his heart rate within a healthy range, but only if I keep my voice low. I have done my best not to be audibly cross with him. _

~~~~

Oh no. Oh,  _ no. _

With an angry cry, Noctis flung the book against the wall. He turned his head back to the desk and was more than ready to start tearing up everything on that desk. Although difficult, he fought back the tears in his eyes when he saw a small tape labeled  _ ‘VI Month, VI Day - Subject 05953234 Procedure Recording & Analysis’ _ on the desk and knew what he had to do. He had to watch the tape. The computers in the other corner of the laboratory had to have a reader. With shaking hands, Noctis picked up the tape and carefully stepped around the broken glass. He searched through every complex-looking box atop the computer desk until he found what he was looking for: the tape reader.

He stuck the tape in (trying very hard not to shove it into the reader) and waited. The screen closest to him flickered to life, buzzed briefly with static, and then the recording began to play. Verstael and Ardyn walked frantically around, in and out of the camera’s view, as they muttered inaudibly at each other. And then, there was Prompto. They pulled him into some sort of shallow, elongated tank. He was bloody, bruised, and barely conscious…

Noctis watched, horrified, as he realized what he was about to see. What's done was already done, and all that was left was to watch and find out what happened. At this moment, Prompto’s fate was decided. Noctis felt absolutely sick.

On the screen, Ardyn and Verstael worked quickly, fastening both of Prompto’s wrists into perfectly-fitting cuffs bolted to the floor of the tank on either side of his head; Verstael wrapped a belt-like piece of fabric around Prompto’s waist near where his tentacles began and another around the squirming appendages to keep them still, tightening both belts down while muttering to himself as Ardyn stepped back and out of view of the camera.

_ “Izunia, press the button to your left - I need the general sedative released into the tank.” _

_ \- Click - _

Prompto’s eyes flitted about in a semi-conscious daze, alerted by the sound. After putting on a new pair of medical gloves, Verstael rested his hand against his captive’s head as if to console him. A cough and a wounded, gurgling growl escaped Prompto as his eyes met the scientist’s. It made Noctis’s heart sink to see Prompto’s face twisted in such distress.

_ “Easy, easy… don’t fight. I’m going to help you. I’ll work as quickly as I can,” _ soothed Verstael, but the clinical delivery in his tone just sent shivers through Noctis as he continued watching, his eyes glued to the screen. He shouldn’t look away, no matter how much he wanted to, no matter how gruesome the footage became. He couldn’t.

The scientist narrated his every thought, every movement, as he circled once around the length of the tank like a predator examining his prey. The shard of glass embedded deep in Prompto’s pale skin glimmered against the bright light Verstael pulled overhead from out of view, and another low but hesitant snarl rose up from Prompto’s chest - until the sound snagged in his throat and a wisping trail of blood slipped out from his lips, briefly clouding red into the clear water, and he went silent.

Verstael raised his voice slightly to declare, as he pulled his tool tray along with him to the opposite side of the tank (likely for a better view for the camera, thought Noctis bitterly),  _ “Now beginning the extraction procedure; first, administering a local anesthetic.” _

The syringe that Verstael picked up from the tray contained a translucent blue liquid; whether or not it was actually anesthetic was unknown to the Prince. Noctis’s gaze moved between the syringe and Prompto, watching as his eyes widened and his bound hands gripped into fists and fought against the cuffs in panic at the sight of the needle. Prompto frantically shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut.

_ “Nn...nngh - nnh… no… no!” _

_ “It will hurt less if you relax,” _ Verstael stated matter-of-factly as he angled the tip of the needle down into Prompto’s chest an inch below his gills and slowly pushed down on the plunger with his thumb until the syringe was empty.  _ “Relax, it will all be over soon… you need not fear death, not while under my care. You’re far too valuable.” _

Prompto whimpered and his eyes shut tighter, his face contorting in pain. His fangs bit down against his lower lip enough to let a slow trickle of blood free into the water. As soon as Verstael discarded the empty syringe, he wiped a gloved thumb along Prompto’s splitting lip and said, his words barely audible through the static of the recording,

_ “You are indeed fortunate, even if you don’t understand why. The law requires I anesthetize you due to the complexity of your fascinating biology… for the sake of retaining my research funding, of course, I must ensure total compliance. A pity, but… ah. Nonetheless I should hope your resilience will still aid us both in the hours of your post-procedural recovery.” _

The whole time, Prompto fought to turn his head away from the scientist’s touch as if he were poisonous. And then something dawned on the Prince: if Verstael had sedated Prompto,  _ why  _ was he still awake? Was this what Verstael wanted? Noctis covered his mouth with his hand as an acidic burning lingered threateningly at the back of his throat. This had to be medical malpractice at the  _ absolute _ least. He was utterly disgusted, mortified, and knew that the loathing he felt for Verstael for hurting,  _ torturing _ Prompto -  _ especially _ under the guise of helping him - was far more intense than any hatred he’d ever experienced in his life.

Verstael reached over to the tray to pick up a scalpel and finally set to work, making small incisions on either side of the glass fragment. He seemed to pay no mind to the fact that whatever medication he’d administered clearly either wasn’t strong enough, or just wasn’t working, as he set down the bloodied scalpel in exchange for forceps and another metal tool with a curved piece at its end. With the latter he attempted to spread the incision wide enough to further inspect the depth of the shard and any potential damages to his gills or other organs. Any blood that bloomed out into the water was pulled away by the filtration device and even though there was a lot of it, it somehow still dissipated quickly.

If Noctis were to be completely honest with himself, it looked like Verstael was  _ enjoying _ his work - drinking in every minute flinch, every pulsing twitch of Prompto’s insides against the probing, intrusive instruments. The scientist’s eyes had this infuriatingly curious gleam to them; while Noctis was no doctor he could sense that there were a lot of things wrong with what was being done.

Noctis fought hard to not look away when Verstael gripped the piece of glass between the tips of his forceps and gave it a careful adjustment. Prompto’s tentacles seized and curled reflexively, agony clearly on display as his scales and patches of his skin rapidly flashed a panicked pulsing of bright blue, white, and gold. His dark-tipped ears immediately pressed flat and disappeared beneath his hair as the back of his head knocked involuntarily against the floor of the tank.

The noise that left Prompto was as close to a scream as he could make in his weakened state; the garbled, bubbling gasps that echoed through the speakers were too much for the Prince. Even just watching was too painful, but Noctis knew he had no right to complain… living through that firsthand had to have been a thousand times worse. So Noctis kept listening, and willed himself to bring his eyes back to the screen. He felt sick to his stomach, but still forced himself to finish watching the rest of the tape. He had to. For Prompto.

_ “Izunia, I think that’s enough for now; turn the sedative dial four clicks to the right. Be quick. Keep an eye on the filtration device, as well. I can’t have any contaminants entering the tank or spreading within it. Tell me if the device reads positive for oversaturation of blood or any other bodily fluids.” _

_ “Alright. Do be careful, please - it seems the poor thing is in a great deal of pain. Perhaps you should wait until the - ” _

_ “You think I’m not being careful?” _ Verstael retorted, but paused afterward and exhaled slowly before speaking again.  _ “I have already started the procedure; I cannot and will not pause over mere discomfort. He’ll live. The sooner the extraction is successfully completed, the better. Please, do not distract me… I can’t allow any  _ accidents _ to occur while I’m working. Now turn the dial. Four clicks to the right, as I instructed you to. If I am to continue unhindered, I need the Subject to keep still.” _

_ “…As you wish.” _

Noctis frowned as Ardyn came into view again to do as Verstael asked. An expression of muted sympathy crossed his uncle’s face briefly, but dissipated as soon as Verstael glared over at him to ensure the dial was in the proper position.

The moment Ardyn disappeared from view, Verstael returned his attention to the glass shard embedded in Prompto’s gills, gripping it between the forceps again. He reached over for the curved tool with his free hand and spared a glance to Prompto’s face before pulling the skin at the incision back, inspecting the damage once again. This time, Prompto didn’t move. There was this distant, glazed look in his half-lidded eyes now, as if no longer fully coherent, lost to a medicated daze.

_ “Ah, the sedative has finally taken proper effect, that’s good. I’ll have to adjust my dosage calculations in the future. Now, the real work begins.” _

Noctis gagged when Prompto’s gills fluttered against the instrument; he could  _ see _ the filaments tearing and splitting as Verstael pulled at the shard. Even though Prompto’s skin was still flashing alert every now and then, that gold-blue-white, Prompto made no other indication that he was in pain.

_ Don’t look away. _

He kept repeating that to himself, swallowing back the acid in his throat and breathing slowly, an anxious shudder to his exhales as he watched Verstael carefully pull the shard free. It clattered against the tray as Verstael discarded it, and Noctis grit his teeth at the jarring volume of the sudden sound. The glass piece was a lot bigger than it had seemed at first… how had Prompto managed to stay conscious for so long, with something so sharp and jagged buried that deep into his skin?

_ “Slight damage to the gill combs and internal muscles observed, but nothing irreparable - upon initial visual analysis. Thankfully an easy fix. Further observation required, but, I’m hopeful for positive results.” _

A slow trickle of bubbles rose up from Prompto’s half-parted lips as his head lolled slowly to the side, brushing his drifting hair across his face. Noctis leaned closer to the screen, pressed his hand to the monitor’s surface and wished more than anything that he had been there to help, that he could have prevented this whole thing from happening. That he could find Prompto again, and free him.

When Noctis pulled away, ever so slightly, he wondered if he imagined Prompto’s lips parting slightly more to mouth a single, soundless word.

_ Noct… _

“I have to find him, he  _ needs  _ me,” Noctis muttered frantically, eyeing the timestamp on the screen. There was still a half-hour left. That would have to wait… Noctis moved his hand to the reader above the computer’s processor to eject the tape but froze immediately when a voice filtered in from behind him.

“What he needs right now is rest, not to be disturbed,” Ardyn said, stepping forward as he spoke. The door had never opened. Noctis was more than sure he’d locked it because he had double-checked on his way over to the computer desk… it had to be his uncle’s knack for interfering at the worst possible moment.

“Where’s Prompto - ” Noctis countered immediately, hovering in front of the desk with his palm pressed against the processor, “Where is he?! Tell me where Verstael moved him. If you don’t tell me right now, I’ll find that damn mad scientist myself and - ”

_ “…Prompto?”  _ Ardyn mused, as if immediately making the connection in his head. “Ah. Verstael’s prized Subject and your tentacle-appendaged friend, you mean? As for his whereabouts… Verstael takes his security very seriously. You knew you should not be here. I gave you plenty of warning that you might be hurt if you wandered where you should not go… I have no choice, now. Forgive me, Noctis.”

For the first time in his entire stay at the manor, Noctis realized he really was in over his head. He watched in shock as a cloud of black-purple smog enveloped Ardyn and quickly dissipated to leave nothing behind. It explained so much, in such a brief, terrifying instance. But by the time Noctis had enough time to process what happened and plan retaliation, that same darkness fogged over his vision and a sudden jabbing pain in his head brought him to his knees, and then to the floor. The last thing he heard before the darkness fully overtook him was Ardyn muttering,

_ “Oh, Verstael… what am I going to do now? It’s too late…” _

The sharp pain that had knocked Noctis out still throbbed dully at the back of his skull, enough to rouse him from his unconscious state. When Noctis forced himself into slightly more coherency, he realized he had been moved from the basement and tucked into his bed, with a glass of water and an accompanying pitcher at the side table to his left. Slowly, he forced himself to sit up and reached over for the glass, inspecting it skeptically before taking a cautious sip. It was cool, as if it had just been poured. It tasted like water and nothing else. The pitcher still had ice in it.

A folded paper beside the pitcher caught his attention next, and he took another long, slow drink of water to ease the pounding in his head before picking up and unfolding the note.

~~~~

_ Noctis, _

_ I am deeply sorry, but you must leave the manor. You have seen too much. Verstael will be returning this evening - I expect you to meet with us both at dinner tonight to apologize to him, and then you will return home immediately following the meal. I have notified your retainers of your abrupt change of plans, although they have not been informed of the true reason for your sudden departure. _

_ If you had listened to me, your ‘Prompto’ would have remained safely here. You should not have let your curiosity get the better of you. But you are young, and I understand. I, too, was young and foolish once - and look what that earned me: a partnership I never agreed to. With nothing left of my human form but ash and shadow, merely a pitiful replica of my former self. _

_ I suppose I should keep my secret no longer. _

_ Your father never told you this, but I never “left” Insomnia. Not in the way he, or anyone for that matter, recalls. Everyone believes I quit politics for country life, but as much as I wish it ends there, I assure you, my reality is far worse. Long story short, I was in an… accident. Verstael was the first doctor to get his hands on my body. He brought me back to this world using forbidden technology, magic, dare I say. An old lore involving a cursed Lovers’ ring that grants the wearer immortality, but binds them to the ring-giver until their death. In exchange for my absolute loyalty I could have my freedom from the daily nuisance of Insomnian politics, as long as I didn’t outright interfere in his business. _

_ Foolishly, I agreed, and so I became a collector - a protector - of other creatures like myself, to monitor them even as Verstael experimented on these poor beings to further fantastically-inclined research for his own wicked deeds. I kept them safe, in relative comfort, until they were either released, or… well. You know. Disposed of, once they outlived their usefulness. So now, not a single soul remains in my care. _

_ And I have you to thank. _

_ If you wish to end this painlessly, I suggest you do everything asked of you without question from this point forward. _

_ Please. _

_ Respectfully, _

_ Ardyn Izunia _

~~~~

“I can’t… I can’t go. Not without Prompto. I can’t,” Noctis muttered, fighting the urge to ball the letter up in his fist and throw it at the nearest wall. “He didn’t go through all that… for nothing. I’m freeing him and I’m not leaving until I do.”

Immediately, Noctis palmed around the bed for his phone. It was in his pocket, still, and he silently thanked the gods that it hadn’t been misplaced when he’d been moved. He dialed the first number on his screen and waited as it rang for a painfully long time against his ear.

_ “We received the news, Noct. What is going on? Are you alright? We’d been told you hurt yourself while fishing… but that’s not true, is it.” _

“No, I’ll… I’ll explain later. Ardyn’s trying to send us home. But I… I can’t go yet.”

_ “We have orders to return to Insomnia as soon as possible…” _

“That’s gonna have to wait. Is Gladio with you?”

_ “Yep, right here, Your Highness,” _ chimed the Shield, his voice distant through the speaker. Noctis smiled, just slightly. At least something was going well.

“Great, that’s perfect - I don’t really have time to explain everything, but we have no choice anymore, it looks like we have to go for the plan and we have to do it  _ right now. _ We have to find Prompto and we’ll have to be fast, but, I know we can do this. I just hope Prompto will be in a stable enough condition to be moved so soon… he can’t stay here another minute. He’s in trouble.”

_ “Let’s go save Prompto,”  _ Gladio agreed, and Ignis chimed in his approval.  _ “Meet us at the bottom of the stairs, we’ll be down there asap.” _


	17. Chapter 17

At the bottom of the stairs, Ignis and Gladio were both waiting for Noctis, and both watched silently as he nearly tripped and fell while jumping down the last four steps in his rush to meet up with them.

“Come on, we don’t have time to waste, let’s go,  _ let’s go,” _ Noctis urged, immediately leading the way down the hall toward the basement door. Both Gladio and Ignis kept pace with him as he directed them through the first door and into the laboratory’s main room. Without wasting any time, Noctis pulled them toward the door where Prompto’s tank was hidden, but the moment his hand touched the doorknob, he froze.

_ What if I can’t do this? What if Prompto… what if he… _

“Noct?”

Ignis’s voice was quiet, concerned, as he stepped forward to rest his palm over Noctis’s hand.

“I’m fine,” Noctis rushed, not caring that it wasn’t the truth. This wasn’t the time to be thinking about himself. This was no time for selfish, negative thoughts. Yet he couldn’t stop them as they spun around in his head until he felt dizzy and had to lean against the door for support.

“We’re right here for you, don’t worry.” The words were simple, but they helped Noctis calm down enough to push the door open. Impossibly, all the glass on the floor had been cleaned up, and the tank was now mostly back to “normal” - but it was eerily devoid of both water and fish. The only evidence that remained of something ever living in it was the faint, blue lights glimmering off the glass, and the large rock toward the back of the tank that Prompto had used as a hiding place.

The surface of Verstael’s desk had also been emptied, and every drawer was locked with no keyholes to be found on any of the latches. While Noctis searched the desk, Ignis and Gladio had wandered over to the computers where - just as frustratingly - nothing remained, no records of Prompto’s existence. At least, not where it could be found and shared.

_ Noctis… _

“Wait!” Noctis immediately raised his head, nearly swearing as he held his hand out to signal for everyone to freeze. “I think I… I just…”

_ Noct… help… please… _

“It’s… it’s Prompto! I can hear him! I can… I can hear him, he’s… he’s still alive. He’s still here.” The relief he felt was almost unreal as he fought back the urge to cry.

With shaking hands, Noctis closed his eyes and turned from the desk to press his palms against the glass of the empty tank.

“Prompto… if you can hear me, can you lead us to you?”

_ Small… box. Hurts… everything… hurts… is dark… can see… blue light. _

“Blue light… blue light -  _ the tank.” _

Ignis moved closer to Noctis, and carefully touched his shoulder. “Did he tell you where he is?”

“Not exactly, but he’s nearby. He can see the light from the tank.”

“There’s a room behind this one, isn’t there? Where the opening to the tank is located. Let’s search back there,” observed Ignis, and Noctis frowned as he remembered. How could he have forgotten? Was he just that upset, overwhelmed… selfish?

“Let’s go.”

Again, Noctis led the way, pushing the bookshelf-door aside to reveal the back side of the tank. Toward the corner, pushed back among an array of boxes and powered-down devices, was the box he’d seen on the tape. He immediately ran over to it and saw that Prompto was still cuffed to the bottom of it, and was unable to free himself.

“Prompto,  _ I’m so sorry,” _ Noctis whispered, as Prompto raised his head and still, somehow, managed to smile despite everything he’d been through. Prompto let out a soft, worried gurgle and Noctis felt his throat tightening. Breathing felt impossible as he tried to gather himself in front of his friend. In front of the one he loved more than anything.

_ “Is… is okay. Feel better now.” _

To demonstrate, he wriggled his tentacles as much as he could manage against the binds. The skin of his tentacles briefly pulsed blue and white before fading back into their usual dark, inky shade. Although there was a small scar along his gills where the glass shard had been stuck, that was all the evidence that still remained - other than his tired appearance, he seemed otherwise healthy.

“I brought my friends, we’re gonna take you out to the ocean right now, okay?”

“Noct, I know you want to let him out now, but it’s probably safest for him if he stays inside the tank while we maneuver him out into the boat.” As much as Ignis’s observation hurt, Noctis knew it was the best way to keep him safe and keep him from suffocating.

To this, even Prompto nodded. A fierce gleam flashed in his purple eyes as he agreed,  _ “Prompto will be okay. Is safe. Trusts you. No hurting.” _

“Let’s get this thing loose, and we’ll be on our way.” At Noctis’s order, the three worked the tank loose from its base and between having Ignis at one end and Gladio at the other, with Noctis in the middle to balance, the three were able to carry Prompto relatively easily. So far, so good.

Each step the three took was careful, calculated, and at Noctis’s instruction. But with the three of them working together, and Prompto staying as still as possible except for a gentle, excited wriggling in his tentacle-tips, they were outside much faster than Noctis had anticipated. The moment they closed the door behind them, dark clouds started to roll in from out of nowhere and a steady rush of rain hit their heads as they took extra care not to slip on the now-wet ground as they followed Noctis’s directions to get from the basement to the dock.

Loading Prompto onto the boat took a lot of careful coordination, but with Ignis’s help with maneuvering directions they were able to set the tank down on the floor of the boat. Noctis gave the keys to the vessel to Ignis, far too concerned with Prompto’s condition to be in any state to sail. Ignis had already been expecting this, and already had his hand out the moment Noctis pulled the boat keys from his pocket.

As the engine whirred to life and they pulled away from the dock, Noctis worked as hard as he could to work Prompto’s hands and body loose from the belts.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” Noctis kept repeating, and every time, Prompto shook his head. Even as Noctis kept rambling on, the moment Prompto’s torso was freed, he swallowed a mouthful of water and forced himself upright to give Noctis a tight, soaking-wet hug. Noctis just clung to him, thankful for the rain as he couldn’t hold back his tears and sobbed into Prompto’s scale-freckled shoulder.

“You’re on your way home. To be free. And safe. No more experimenting. No more pain. And I… Prompto… Prompto, I…”

“Noct, we’ve got a problem -  _ incoming!” _

Gladio’s shout scared both Noctis and Prompto into flinching, and when Noctis turned his head to see what Gladio was yelling about, it felt like his stomach was going to hit the floor.   
  
It was Verstael. Speeding after them in a small, lifeboat-like craft. Noctis caught the flash of blond hair in the distance and immediately (although gently) pushed Prompto back down into the holding tank. It was too late. Even through the building rain, and as the wind picked up as Verstael sped closer, Noctis could hear him shouting,

_ “GIVE HIM BACK TO ME! HE IS MINE!” _

“No way!” Noctis shouted back, as Ignis pushed the engine to go faster and Noctis clung to Prompto’s hand beneath the water while his other braced against the side of the tank.

Verstael shouted something else, but his words were drowned out by a deafening roar.

“Specs, stop the boat, stop!”   
  
_ “What?!” _ Ignis called back, “Absolutely not, did you just hear - ”

_ “Trust me! Just stop the boat!” _ yelled Noctis, cutting off the rest of the Tactician’s complaint.

Reluctantly, Ignis followed the order and the water around them churned dangerously. It rocked the boat harshly; water spilled over the edges of Prompto’s tank and sloshed across the deck, but he just held on tightly to Noctis’s hand like nothing could break their touch. His other hand reached out of the water, and he pulled Noctis’s head down close to murmur something in his ear.

“No way, I can’t let you do that,” Noctis whispered back, squeezing Prompto’s hand. “It’s not safe.”

_ “Prompto… will be safe. Tidemother will help. Trust Prompto.” _ Softer, wearing that unbreakable smile, Prompto added a little more firmly,  _ “Trust.” _

“...Alright. Just… come back to me safely. Promise.”

_ “Promise.” _

Just as the word left Prompto’s lips, Verstael’s lifeboat was parallel with the side of their much-larger boat. He was yelling swears, gesturing frantically at the boat and ranting about how his research had been stolen from him, until Noctis leaned over the side railing and shouted,

“Hey!”

“What?!”

“If you want Prompto so bad, you can have him! Prompto -  _ now!” _

On Noctis’s signal, Prompto forced himself over the railing and crashed on top of the lifeboat - and Verstael. All Noctis could see as he, Ignis, and Gladio watched was a struggling, twisting mass of tentacles and blooming clouds of ink as Verstael attempted to free himself, but Prompto only gripped him harder. When Prompto landed on the boat, he’d snapped the wheel in half. The crushing force of his tentacles proved impossible for Verstael to fight against as he dragged the man closer to the edge of the boat, trying to pull him into the water.   
  
_ “Free - free!” _ Prompto hissed, baring sharp fangs as every scale on his body flashed a bright, blinding gold, like a warning flare. Even as Verstael squirmed and writhed against Prompto’s unbreakable grip, it was useless.  _ “No more! No more hurting! Prompto is free!” _

Lightning flashed across the sky and the rain turned colder, sharper. Noctis didn’t care, even as Ignis and Gladio moved to try to shelter themselves under the boat’s half-canopy. He knew what was going to happen next.

Leviathan burst from the water, Her body twisting against the dark sky as She rose, menacingly, letting out a shriek loud enough to shatter every glass window on their vessel. At this point Prompto gained the upper hand as Verstael froze at the sight of Her, and took his chance to drag Verstael into the water. When Prompto released him and swam back to float protectively in front of where Noctis watched from the railing, the scientist let out a surprised, frustrated exclamation and climbed back into his sinking lifeboat. A sort of wicked interest kept Noctis watching as Leviathan stared down at Verstael, and he could have sworn the Astral was  _ smiling. _

**_You. You belong to ME now._ **

Verstael’s face twisted into a scream, but the sound never escaped his mouth; Leviathan snagged the boat in Her teeth and slammed Her full weight against it, dragging both Verstael and the remains of the lifeboat into the stormy, churning depths. As she swam deeper and disappeared, the angry clouds dissipated and the dark sky faded into a blooming, blue brightness.

Hardly a minute later, just the tip of Leviathan’s head emerged from the water, and She snorted triumphantly.

**_You are safe. You are free._ **

Prompto swam over to Her, completely unafraid. Noctis wanted to say something to stop him, after the frightening display he’d just witnessed - but the Hydraean hummed warmly as Prompto reached out to touch the tip of his tentacles to Her chin. She leaned close, and Prompto pressed his blond head to Her scaled one, and the two seemed to exchange a conversation in total silence. Noctis held his breath the entire time, too afraid to move while still in Her presence.

When Prompto pulled his head away, he was smiling. He waved back at Noctis, and Leviathan  _ bowed Her head _ to them. Just what did Prompto say?

**_Thank you._ **

Her rumbling voice filled Noctis’s heart, warmed him until he felt completely at peace. All Noctis could think to do was bow his head in return, and this seemed to please Her.

Prompto gently tapped Leviathan’s chin one last time and stared deeply into Her eyes. They exchanged nods, and Prompto held his breath as She touched just the tip of Her mouth to his chest. After that simple gesture, She sank back into the water, leaving the four of them alone with nothing but the sound of the waves gently lapping against the sides of the boat and the gentle breeze over the water.

As she disappeared, Noctis wondered if he imagined Her voice saying to him: 

**_Keep Prompto safe._ **


	18. Chapter 18

Prompto swam back over to their boat and pressed his hand against it, suddenly spitting a jet of seawater into the sky. He coughed, spraying more water from his mouth, and Noctis reached down to grab hold of Prompto’s arm as the coughing turned into a near-painful sounding wheeze.

“Prompto… Prompto, hey, what’s wrong - are you okay?”

At first Prompto was barely able to get any words out, but his voice was suddenly, surprisingly clear as he shouted, “Air!” and touched his fingertips to his throat in shock. His voice sounded different, lighter, almost musical - without the weight of the water in his lungs or the bubbling from his gills to hush his words or make speaking difficult.

“...Air?” Noctis blinked as Prompto smiled, and his tentacles wriggled against the water, sending little splashes up against the boatside. He waved his arms and made excited, happy shouts to the sky, testing out his newly-realized ability.

“Prompto can breathe air! And… and talk better!”

“Must have been the Tidemother’s Blessing,” Ignis mused, finally stepping away from the wheel to look down at Prompto from the railing. “Just as She takes away, She gives to those who are worthy. We are very lucky.”

“Yeah,” Noctis agreed, as Gladio joined them in leaning against the railing to look down at Prompto as he happily swam in an excited circle around the boat.

“Well… you’re free now! What do you wanna do?” Noctis asked, trying not to let the sadness in his words show too much even as he managed a small smile. He wondered what Prompto would do, where he would go, what kind of adventures he would have, if he would ever come back to the dock to visit…

“The ocean… is big, and deep, and scary. So… Prompto wants to stay with Noct. Tidemother approves.”

“You can’t, you shouldn’t - I’m  _ not _ keeping you in a tank,” rushed Noctis, and Prompto shook his head.

“Is okay,” he said simply, looking up at Noctis with those beautiful purple eyes. No matter how beautiful they were, he never wanted to see them trapped behind a glass wall ever again.  _ Never _ again.

“No, it’s not okay! I can’t do that to you. I won’t.” Noctis frowned, and Prompto’s ears flicked sadly and flattened against his head as he looked up at the three, sinking back down into the water until he was up to his chin. After a long moment of thinking, Noctis realized something.

“There… there is one place you can stay, actually. If you’re okay with a little more moving around out of the water. It’ll be a little bit hard to get you there, and we - well, Gladio - might have to carry you a little bit, but… trust me?”

Gladio raised his arms to show off a little, and Noctis just shrugged as Prompto watched Gladio give him a flex. “As long as you don’t mind me carrying you again,” said Gladio, with a chuckle.

“Prompto trusts Noct,” he said with a warm, thoughtful smile, and added, “And Gladio. Is strong. And good friend. Ignis, too.”

“C’mon. Let’s head back to the dock. Prompto, can you follow us there?”

“Can do!”

They sailed back to shore. Prompto followed, occasionally jumping out of the water high enough so he could wave at Noctis before disappearing back into the waves again, doing a little flip as he landed in the water.  _ Things will be okay.  _ Noctis told himself that, even as uncertainty lingered in the back of his mind about what awaited them when they returned to the castle. What would Ardyn do, when he found out what happened to Verstael? Would he be angry? Upset? …Happy? There was really no telling.

Noctis sat quietly in his seat, thinking carefully about how to confront his uncle when they had to face him. He paused in his thoughts any time Prompto’s blond head flashed past and smiled, wondering,  _ does it even matter? _ Prompto was free - his main goal had been reached. Prompto was  _ safe _ and that was all that was important to the Prince in that moment. No matter what Ardyn could possibly try to counter with, Noctis knew as long as Prompto was safe, nothing else really mattered.

~~~~

Noctis’s plan was simple, in theory. Once they anchored the boat back at the dock, they’d meet Prompto at the shoreline and (with Gladio’s help) carry Prompto off toward the lake close to the castle, where Noctis used to spend his time fishing.

The hard part came in actually  _ carrying _ Prompto there. Prompto tried his best to stay still, and he had his arms wrapped around Noctis’s shoulders while they walked. Gladio walked behind them, supporting Prompto’s tentacles in his arms in an awkward bundle, but it worked. The three walked, very carefully, to the lake, and Prompto settled right into the water, making a happy noise as he spotted several colorful fish darting to hide from him.

“Here, you’ve got plenty of food, and there’s enough water to keep you hydrated, and it’s really clean. It’s surrounded by lots of trees so nothing can hurt you, and you’re close enough to me that I can come visit you whenever you want.”

“Ooh. Thank, thank!”

Noctis smiled and leaned down to touch his forehead to Prompto’s before standing. “You should try to get some rest, now that you’re here and can get comfy. Gladio, Ignis, and I have a few more things to do back at the manor before we can come back. But we’ll be back soon, okay?”

“Soon.” Prompto nodded, waving with renewed energy as the three headed back through the tree-lined path to go back toward the castle.


	19. Chapter 19

Coctura was pacing around in the main hall when the three returned, and she nearly jumped when they greeted her. She looked like she’d just seen something very unpleasant, and could barely find the words to explain, when Ignis asked her if something had happened.

“I’ll… I just have to show you,” she said cryptically, pointing to the door behind her that led to the dining hall. Gladio pushed open the door and the four of them walked inside. Everything seemed normal at first, except for the fact that the table was set with all of Ardyn’s favorite plates… but the man himself was nowhere to be seen. Noctis walked parallel to the table, inspecting every chair and set of silverware, wondering if this was Ardyn just being his usual, mysterious self… but no answers came to him. Instead, it was Ignis who made a conclusion first.

“Noct, the throne.”

The Prince turned his head, and felt his heart nearly stop. On that carved throne at the back of the hall - it wasn’t his uncle, but his  _ clothes. _ His clothes, disintegrating, being eaten away slowly by dark purplish, almost  _ wet _ ashes that surely seemed like they might be toxic to the touch.

“What is… is that… him?” asked Noctis, and when Gladio went to pick up the sleeve that was draped over the arm of the throne he hissed as the ash sputtered angrily, scalding his fingertips. Ignis, too, couldn’t touch the clothes - he was met with the same painful response. Coctura stood back from the throne, unwilling to get any closer, so that left Noctis to try.

He picked up the sleeve and the ash crumbled away, disappearing into the carved stone beneath the fabric of Ardyn’s clothes. Carefully, he peeled the rest of the clothes off of the throne, and just as he was about to fold them all into a neat pile, something fell from the pocket of his shirt and clattered to the floor. It was a small, grayish box; when opened, it revealed a wide, black ring with a single, shining stone in the middle of it. Noctis vaguely recognized it as the ring that Ardyn had been wearing when they first met at the manor’s front steps. Beneath the ring was a small, folded piece of paper. In Ardyn’s neat handwriting, the note read:

_ Verstael is gone, and I am free of the ring’s curse. Return this ring to its proper home in Insomnia, where it belongs, and destroy it. Be absolutely sure no one else makes the mistake of wearing it. That is my final wish. Regards, Ardyn. _

“Well… I guess that means he’s gone.”

“Who?” Coctura asked, and when Noctis turned - she, Gladio, and Ignis were all looking at him with the same, puzzled expression.

“Ardyn? My uncle? This is  _ his  _ place?”

“I don’t… I don’t remember anyone by name, even though it does sound familiar…” Ignis frowned, and tapped his finger against his chin. “Strange. I was told this manor was part of the Lucis Caelum family’s protections, and was used as a summer home on occasion… this… hm. Something isn’t right.”

Gladio put a hand to his head and glanced from Noctis to the table - all the plates were now gone. “Wait, wait. Wasn’t there just a bunch of plates on the table? What happened? Did I just black out for a second or something?”

“This is a weird place, that’s for sure,” Coctura admitted, and shook her head with a helpless sigh. “I was sent here by the Royal family to keep track of this place months ago, but… I always remember being alone.”

Now Noctis had  _ more _ questions. But he looked down at the box in his hands, at the ring, and had to remind himself that everything that had happened was real. As crazy as it seemed. At this point, he believed it all.

“Let’s… save that for later. We’ll call back home and get this all sorted out. I want… I want to stay here, so I can make sure Prompto is okay living in the lake. I’m not ready to go back to Insomnia yet. Ignis, Gladio, I’ll need you guys to take this ring back home for me, and make sure it’s destroyed. I don’t really have any answers, or know why it’s here in the first place, but I was told to make sure it’s disposed of and I trust you two to get the job done.”

“Understood,” Ignis said, nodding, and Gladio nodded as well. Coctura just shrugged and the four of them turned to head out of the dining hall and back out toward the manor’s main room. Noctis trailed behind them a few steps, and was about to close the door behind him when someone tapped his shoulder. It was his uncle, or… most of him. He stood just a few feet back and his body shimmered in a strange, ghostly sort of way.

_ Thank you, _ he said, offering a smile.  _ Do take care of this manor for me. In a strange way, I cherish the memories I have made here. I only hope you will do the same, even though no one will remember that I existed. Bring some light to these dark, dreary halls for me. _

“I will,” Noctis promised, giving his uncle a reassuring nod. “I’ll take good care of this place, don’t worry.”

_ If you’re in charge, I know you will. Now go, your friends are waiting for you. _

With a nod and another smile, Ardyn disappeared and left Noctis alone, still holding the ring in his hands, as Gladio and Ignis called to him impatiently from outside the door.

“Hurry up! We’ve got a lot of phone calls to make!” Gladio said, and Ignis joined in.

“We really ought to be quick - ”

“I know, I know! I’m sorry, I’ll be right there,” Noctis countered back, tucking the ring box into his pocket as he met up with the others in the main room. He had a lot to do, surely more than he could get finished in a day, but with Gladio and Ignis to help him, he knew that things would be okay. Even with all the magical, terrifying, wonderful weirdness that this strange summer had thrown his way.


	20. Chapter 20

The water sparkled as if to greet Noctis as he emerged into the clearing around the lake. The little dock still remained as worn-looking as it had when he first arrived at the beginning of the summer all that time ago; he mused about getting it fixed up as he sat down at the edge of it to take his shoes and socks off, and his fishing rod and tackle box hit the wood with a rather heavy, clattering  _ thunk. _

A gentle swish of midnight-blue flickered beneath the surface. Prompto’s wet blond head emerged from the lake shortly after, with his hair shining as golden as the sunlight that scattered down through the trees despite the thick leaves surrounding them. He offered a cheerful smile and a wave, which cast little drops of water off of his fingertips as his hand moved. The droplets left ripples against the surface when they hit, as did his tentacles as he swam slightly forward to rest his arms on the dock next to Noctis and laid his head on top of his folded hands, facing the Prince. Prompto had changed so much in such a long-yet-short time, but all for the better.

His dark, charcoal-tinted tentacles changed over time as he settled into the lake - becoming a beautiful deep blue. The tarnished tan underside lightened into an almost-sparkling gold, as did the scales at his hands, face, ears, and shoulders. The variety of fish in the lake meant he was now at a much healthier weight and no longer frail or weak. The scar at his gills still remained, although it was barely visible now. The barcode tattooed on his wrist, the one remaining sign of his capture by Verstael, had disappeared once a new set of healthy, shining golden scales grew over it. It was almost like his body was reclaiming his freedom, even down to the smallest, physical things.

“I missed you,” was all Prompto said, at first, as that same musical hum Noctis loved so much about his voice lingered beneath his words. After they moved him to the lake - and they had much more free time to spend together - Prompto was able to learn how to speak more fluently. His gills flared against the water below, and Noctis smiled back at him. So many things had happened since they first met. To the point that Noctis remembered wondering if it would ever be possible for them to spend time together like this. Luckily, in time, Prompto had quickly become accustomed to learning how to use his human lungs - all thanks to Leviathan - allowing him to stay above the water without suffocating.

“I missed you, too,” Noctis said in agreement, and he reached over to ruffle his hand through Prompto’s sun-drying hair.

Was that a purr? Or Noctis’s stomach growling? It seemed to surprise Prompto as much as it surprised him. Noctis only smiled more as Prompto’s wide eyes slipped closed once the Prince’s hand returned to gently patting his hair, smoothing it back and playing with the damp blond tufts.

After a long moment, Prompto admitted guiltily, “I might have scared the fish away.”

“That’s alright, I’m not mad. I did have plans to fish but… the real reason I came here was to see you.”

Another subtle purr rose up, the rumble in Prompto’s chest vibrating the wooden panels beneath them both.

“Have you been busy?” Prompto asked suddenly, his eyes opening again to meet Noctis’s with worry. Worry that if he were to close his eyes again and relax, that the Prince might disappear as if Prompto had only been dreaming.

Noctis nodded, and trailed his hand down from Prompto’s head to his hand, over the patches of golden scale-flecked skin where the barcode used to be. “Yeah. I have. I’m sorry. I meant to come back sooner; but the good news is Ignis and Gladio just got back from running an… errand for me in the city. Since my uncle’s gone. Now that they’re here to help me clean out the manor, I should have a little more free time soon.”

“Are they going to come out, visit me?”

Noctis wasn’t sure if Prompto’s voice was afraid, worried, or relieved.

“Not if you didn’t want them to,” Noctis said simply, with a gentle grin. “This is your home after all. If you don’t want guests, all you gotta do is say.”

“I like visitors, but I like you more. You’re my favorite visitor,” Prompto said, and Noctis watched as his freckled face slowly turned pink at the realization of what he’d just said. “I… I trust you. You’re a good human.”

Now it was Noctis’s turn to quietly clear his throat and cover his face with his hand, trying to disguise his blush by swiping his bangs out of his eyes. “I trust you, too. I owe you a lot, you know. You really made my summer magical, and helped me see that the world wasn’t as boring as I thought it was.”

A small smile lit up Prompto’s face. “Really?”

“Really.”

The next thing Noctis felt was a tentacle slowly wrapping around his torso as Prompto slipped back into the water and gently tugged the Prince in with him. The water was cold, at first, but there was this pleasant warmth radiating from Prompto’s tentacles that made the change in temperature not so uncomfortable. Prompto drifted some distance away from the dock and laid Noctis against his chest, floating peacefully in the water. Noctis laughed when he felt one of Prompto’s tentacles carefully wrap around his arm and offer soft “kisses” with his suction pads against the Prince’s wet skin. It was a strange, almost ticklish sensation, but Noctis found himself enjoying it.

“What are you doing?” Noctis asked, as he shifted against Prompto to get a look at his face. He seemed to be concentrating greatly on something that Noctis couldn’t figure out.

“I don’t know,” Prompto answered, as the small round pads continued suckering up his arm to his shoulder, over his shirt and his neck to his face. “I… it’s nice to not be trapped. In a ‘tank’ or a ‘box’ or dark seawater that goes on forever. I like it out here. It’s small sometimes, but it’s not trapping me. And I have you, to keep me company. Did… did you want me to stop?”

His body froze beneath Noctis even as they continued floating along the surface of the lake, and the heartbeat that he felt against his head was quick, anxious. 

“It’s alright, Prompto. You don’t have to stop. It just tickles a little.”

“Tickles?”

“It’s a little hard to explain, but it’s kind of like when you feel something that makes you laugh. It’s a feeling that doesn’t really have words to it, but everyone, humans at least, knows what it is.”

“Ohh.”

Prompto nodded and laid his head back in the water. The anxious heartbeat beneath Noctis slowly began to return to normal, and he even felt the steady rush of water against Prompto’s gills as he swam further out from the dock. Some birds flew overhead, chirping quick little melodies which briefly caught his attention, but Noctis just tried to focus on the moment and the feeling of Prompto floating with him in the water.

“...Noctis?”

“Hm?”

Prompto slowly lowered Noctis back into the water, and Noctis marveled at the way his scattered golden scales stood out against the deep sapphire skin of his tentacles. Like stars, beneath the water. He was truly beautiful, even if Noctis himself couldn’t figure out how to say so.

“What can I do… if I feel something that I don't know a word for?”

Noctis kicked his legs a bit to keep himself afloat, and paused when Prompto offered him a tentacle to brace against in support while his others undulated beneath the water of their own accord.

“I can try to help you explain, if you want?” Noctis asked, smiling, and reached out across the water to touch Prompto’s face. The skin was wet, but soft, even through the light texture of his scaled cheeks. It reminded him of all the times that he wanted nothing more than this, to see Prompto free - not stuck behind a ceiling-high wall of glass like some kind of science project on display.

“Okay.” Prompto smiled back, and took a deep breath, sending bubbles rising up from the water through his gills before speaking again. “I… I don’t know how to explain it. My heart… my heart feels strange. Like the sun, when it shines down on the sea. Like warmth and light; like swimming through clear, bright water at top speed. But only when I see you. When you aren’t here, my heart is heavy and slow, and cold and creaking like the bones of human ships that lie alone on the seafloor where I used to live. It hurts…”

Prompto’s words hit Noctis deeply, even as he felt the whispers of suckerpads against his legs beneath the water.

“I think I know what you’re feeling. It’s called ‘love,’ and… it happens when you meet someone you want to protect, someone you care deeply about. Someone that you think is more important than anyone else. Someone that makes you happy no matter what. I know that feeling very well.”

“Love? That means I love you! But if love makes you happy, what is this?” Prompto asked, raising his hand and touching Noctis’s cheek, mirroring the Prince’s motion. He pulled his hand away and looked at the droplet that gathered against his thumb. “You’re… making water?”

“No, I… I’m crying because I’m happy; I love you too, Prompto. I just… didn’t think I could ever figure out how to put it into words. I’ve felt this way about you for a long time. But I… didn’t want to say anything too soon, not while you were stuck back… back in the manor. I’m sorry. I promise, I’m not upset, these are happy tears.”

“Happy tears,” Prompto repeated thoughtfully.

Prompto smiled warmly and pulled Noctis close with his arms, drifting over to the lightly sanded shoreline of the lake so he could sit himself down in the water and wrap his tentacles around the Prince in a very delicate, careful hug. Somewhere beneath, Noctis managed to slip his arms around Prompto’s waist and smiled as the tip of one of Prompto’s loose tentacles patted the top of his head in a comforting gesture, suckering with rhythmic gentleness against his hair.

“What do we do, now?” Prompto asked, and Noctis blinked. “Is love… forever? Does it change us at all?”

“Love is forever, for me, yeah. It means I want to stay with you no matter what, but… only you. Even if I’m human, and you’re… well, half octopus; if we’ve managed to make things work so far, we’ll be fine. I know it.”

The tentacle against Noctis’s head wriggled a little more enthusiastically against his head, and Noctis couldn’t help but laugh. “What are you doing?”

“You taste good,” Prompto said, simply, with a laugh in return to Noctis’s slightly alarmed expression. “But not in a food way. It’s a happy, comfort way. If ‘love’ had a taste, it would taste like you.”

“That’s really sweet, in its own weird kinda way,” Noctis mused after a cautious kiss to Prompto’s cheek and a gentle hug around his waist, mirroring the way Prompto’s tentacles intermittently squeezed him back in return. “You wanna go fishing soon? I did tell Ignis and Gladio I’d bring them back some lunch…”

“Can we stay here, just a little longer?” asked Prompto, a sad shine in his eyes as he leaned forward to brush his lips against Noctis’s own, in the smallest, gentlest of kisses. When he pulled back, he whispered softly, almost pleading, “Just us?”

“Alright! Just a little longer, just us,” Noctis answered, and the two shared another kiss, this one just a little deeper; it was still cautious, careful but tender, overflowing with love and warmth as their lips met again. “I really couldn’t have asked for a better way to spend today.”

“Me too,” Prompto agreed, and pushed himself off of the shoreline to drift along the water with Noctis on his chest once again. Noctis wished he could lay like that forever, sharing perfect kisses with the one he loved… even if he did have to go back to Ignis and Gladio later with lunch. Out here, with Prompto, he felt at peace. He only hoped Prompto felt the same peace within himself.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this fic as much as I enjoyed delving into the creation of a new, deep, wonderful, fantastical AU! Please let me know what you think! I'd love to know ; u ;


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